Home Sweet Home
by TinyDancer14
Summary: The night after Gabriella rejects the marriage proposal to the man of her dreams, she decides to return to her little hometown, seeking out the man and daughter she left ten years ago. Once she wins her heart, it’s all she can do to win his...
1. Return to Cold Water Lake

**I'm afraid of what you guys will think of this. Seriously. There's a lot of closed-minded people on this site that can't see past the Disney profiles of each of these characters and can't read or enjoy AU stories. What if Sharpay isn't the drama queen? What if Zeke didn't love to bake? What if Troy -gasp!- didn't like basketball? Come on, AU's are fine. And I happen to love this story idea, so please pleaseee give me some feedback. It doesn't have to positive, but I would appreciate it if it was.**

**If you give this story a chance, everything will work out. I'm sure after reading this you'll have a lot of questions, and feel free to ask them, although I may not be able to answer some of them. All questions will be answered in future chapters, I promise you. I needed a new story idea for when "Deep" and "Un Año En La Vida" end, and I thought of this one night and really _really_ wanted to write it. Hopefully you'll like it as much as I do.**

**Um. I don't own anything. Clearly.**

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Chapter One: Return to Cold Water Lake

"_Gabriella, will you marry me?_"

Her heart shuddered at the memory and she shook her head, wishing it away in the worst way possible. Hugging her gray sweatshirt closer to her body, suddenly feeling chilled, she glanced out of the window of the aircraft, watching the miles fly by and the clouds fluff away in memory. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She couldn't believe she was going back, after all of these years. It wasn't a matter of visitation, though she hadn't seen any of the occupants in nine, no, ten years. It was more of an escape. An escape from the life she knew she didn't want, and more importantly couldn't have.

But she couldn't marry him. She wouldn't. She didn't love him the way he thought she did. Their relationship had been nothing short of a fling, or so she thought. She never thought he'd propose. Never thought he'd take her to a fancy, upscale restaurant overlooking the Manhattan harbor and get down on one knee, causing the whole restaurant to look over in awe as he asked for her hand in marriage. Couples awed at the sight, women chided the men for not being as romantic, and Gabriella, even though she felt obligated to agree, declined.

How could he have proposed? She told him from the beginning that she never really wanted commitment. As much as she needed it, to settle her raging emotions, she could never settle down with Jacob Symonds, future millionaire or not. She believed his love was merely infatuation. And she never loved him anyway. Whenever he'd say he loved her, she'd always reply with a cute little smile and, "I know," which Jake thought was "Simply adorable." Did he not understand that she never loved him back?

Every time Gabriella closed her eyes she saw Jake's shocked and horrified expression from when she turned him down. It was painful, yes, but did he really not see it coming? Was he that dense? He stood and cleared his throat afterwards, sitting back down in the chair across from hers, calling over the waiter for the check. The entire restaurant watched in shock, scorning Gabriella with their downcast glares. It was an awkward ride home and an even more awkward conversation followed. It had started with a simple "Why?" And Gabriella had proceeded to tell him that she didn't feel the same way and that she was sorry but she didn't think she could go through with it. Jake said nothing. She felt terrible.

It was only two days later, and here she was onboard a non-stop flight to New Mexico, revisiting the hometown and life she'd left behind all those years ago. Nobody knew of her homecoming; not her parents, not her ex-in-laws, not Troy... oh, most certainly not Troy. If Troy had known she was flying back to escape from her new life, he would've already packed up everything and skipped town. That's how bad things were between the two of them, ever since the fateful horrid night she left her family and her life behind.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. We've received the 'okay' to land and should be on the ground in about ten to fifteen minutes. Please make sure your seats and tray tables are in the upright position and your seatbelts are securely fastened. Thank you for flying with Delta Airlines, and we hope you have a safe trip in Albuquerque."

Upon arriving at the gate, Gabriella stepped off the plane and into the warm New Mexican air. It was a beautiful day, she decided, and made her way quickly to the baggage claim. She glanced around at the crowds of people she was walking with and found she barely recognized any of them. Of course, she never knew anybody in Albuquerque, since she grew up in a town just south of it. But once in a while, there would be a few travelers who would stray into Cold Water Lake asking for directions, and they'd have to turn them back, telling them they've gone too far.

After gathering her luggage, Gabriella hopped a Greyhound that traveled to the brink of Cold Water Lake, nervously awaiting her arrival at the town she'd called home since birth. Would anyone recognize her? Did anyone miss her when she'd gone? She watched the busyness of Albuquerque fly by her eyes, wishing that was the kind of town she lived in. It was just like New York, in a sense, that it never slept and there was always something to do. Cold Water Lake was a little hick-town. Everybody knew everybody's business, and there were never any secrets.

That's why Gabriella figured everyone knew that she'd gone.

She paid the driver and hopped off the bus, noting that the roads were still unpaved. She glanced around, adjusting the weight of the suitcase to her other hand and began to walk up the road, knowing exactly where she was going. There was a long main road- named Stone Springs Road ironically, since the roads were not paved, just gravel- that had all of the necessary things a town needed. There was a bank, a doctor's and dentist's office, an old historic museum, a hospital and a daycare center on the right side, and a grocery store, a school, a bar, and a restaurant on the left side. That main road then broke down into one large, circular road, named Pebble Drive, which stretched all the way around the ovular lake, with houses all around it. Each house had a dock, and each dock had a boat, whether it was the old, row-boat kind or the new motor-powered one.

This was where Gabriella grew up. This small town that was ages behind in technology.

Her parents' house, the house she grew up in, was 14 Pebble Drive, about halfway around the lake. She'd never forget it. When she was eight and had to write her address for the first time, she figured that her driveway had fourteen pebbles. So when she came home from school that day, she got out into her driveway and began to count all of the pebbles in it. Once she got to six hundred and ninety-eight, she got tired and went inside, complaining to her parents that they in fact _did not_ have fourteen pebbles in the driveway, and needed to move. Her parents laughed so hard Gabriella thought they thought she was joking. She smiled now at the memory.

Gabriella took a deep breath as she approached the oak front door of her parents' house. Stepping onto the porch, she knocked three times, awaiting an answer. The door swung open after a minute, revealing her mother who, after ten years, still looked the same as when she last left. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a peach-colored shirt with a white, stained, apron over the top of her outfit. Her dark hair, which she cut, Gabriella noticed, was pulled back halfway with a hair clip. She wore a confused look on her face as she took in the situation- here was her daughter, the daughter she hadn't seen in ten years standing on her doorstep with a suitcase. How should she react?

"Maria? Who's at the door?"

She turned back at the sound of her husband's voice. "It's... Gabriella."

"Hi Mom," Gabriella spoke softly. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine. Come in, sweetheart. You look tired. Are you hungry? I'm making dinner. Your sister's supposed to be coming over soon too." Maria urged her daughter inside, placing her luggage by the foot of the stairs. "Nicholas, can you bring Gabriella's bag to her room please? I think she'll be staying awhile."

Gabriella smiled gratefully at her mother. "Thanks Mom."

"It's good to see you, Gab," Her father commented, placing a kiss to her forehead as he headed for the stairs.

"So look at you! Twenty-nine, huh? That's amazing; you don't look a day over twenty!"

"Thanks," She laughed. "I'm sorry I just dropped in on you like this... you know, without calling and everything. But-"

Maria waved it away, as if it were nothing. "Don't even worry about it. You haven't visited in so long!"

"At least I called you," Gabriella sulked guiltily. "Which is more than I can say for anyone else down here."

"Oh don't feel bad about that," Her mother assured her. "They came to me for the answers. And you had a perfectly good reason to leave."

"I guess..."

"So what brings you here?" Nicholas returned to the living room, sitting back down on the couch.

"Well, Jake- my boyfriend, remember him? - he proposed to me."

"Oh!" Maria squealed. "That's so exciting!"

"But I said no," Gabriella finished. "I just... didn't love him."

"Is that the same reason why you divorced Jack and Laura's boy?" Nicholas asked curiously.

"No!" Gabriella shrieked. "I had a much better reason, Dad! You know that!"

"Nick," Maria chided. "That was a horrible thing to say."

Gabriella shook her head, forgetting the subject. "I just decided I needed to come back down here to... patch things up a bit."

"And gain your accent back," Nicholas commented. "Your New Yorker's tone isn't the same of that of a southerner."

She laughed slightly. "Okay Dad, I'll work on it."

"Well I'm making fried chicken, baked beans, and potato salad, so you better be hungry, young lady!" Maria cheered.

"Did you say that Sam was coming?" Gabriella inquired, heading into the kitchen to give her mother a helping hand.

"Yes ma'am. Samantha should be here any minute."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Gabriella had a wonderful reunion with her older sister. The four then settled down to a scrumptious meal of Maria's town-famous fried chicken, delicious baked beans, and moist potato salad. Gabriella hadn't had such a meal since she was back here ten years ago, living the life of a small-towner she'd always known. After dinner, Gabriella had helped her mother clean up and then retreated to her old bedroom, which was still filled with everything high school. Her ribbons and plaques from various scholastic competitions, pictures of her and her three best friends swimming in the lake, a prom picture of her and Troy. Troy. Troy was the whole reason she'd come back in the first place.

Troy, and the little girl she'd left behind...

* * *

"You remember where you two used to live, right?"

Gabriella nodded. It was the morning after her arrival, and she'd just notified her mother that she was going to pay a visit to Troy. Immediately she'd received question upon question from her mother, and she reassured her, telling her everything would be okay. Troy wasn't one to hold a grudge, right? The whole argument and her leaving was his fault anyway. He was the one who told her to leave, wasn't he? How could he be mad at her?

She started out the door and headed down Pebble Drive. Her relationship with Troy had been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. They'd been friends since birth, since their parents were friends in high school, and everyone knew everyone in this town anyway. They grew up together and Gabriella was always convinced that Troy was harboring a little crush on her. Well, her hunch had come true when, in tenth grade, he asked her out, all awkward and nervous-like, and she agreed. They dated all throughout high school, won 'Cutest Couple' in senior year, and then graduated, heading off to the University of New Mexico together. Their parents were proud.

In college, they were still going strong, knowing that eventually they'd graduate and marry like both their respective parents. But the summer after freshman year, after the big party a friend threw for surviving the first year of college, claiming it was 'the hardest,' Troy and Gabriella partied a little _too_ hard. A few months later, Gabriella became pregnant, but neither worried. Their parents knew that it was better getting pregnant in college than in high school, like so many other couples had, and approved of their decision to drop out and marry. And when they did, their daughter was born and they moved into a recently vacated house down the street from the Boltons.

But a year into the marriage, things got rocky. The stress of being only twenty years old with a one-year-old child was getting to them, and they got into argument after argument before the big one hit. Gabriella had threatened to leave and Troy told her to go, to abandon them because they didn't even need her. It hurt so much to hear that, but she left, promising her daughter, who didn't understand, that she'd be back someday. She jetted off to New York City, rented out a loft apartment, finished her college years, and started a whole new career.

And Troy didn't come after her.

Now, she stood outside of their old home, staring back at it and wondering whether she should be there or not. The main front door was open, but the house was closed off behind a screen storm door. A shutter on the top left window on the front of the house still hung loose and Gabriella laughed slightly, noting that it had been that way since they first bought the house. She heard commotion coming from the dock and glanced around the white house, waiting for Troy to come around. She knew it was him. She'd know it was him anywhere.

And then, there he was, standing right before her with a long plank of wood tucked underneath his arm. He wore a pair of faded denim jeans, with holes in the knees and near the ankles, obviously from work and wear. His white sneakers were tinged a grayish color, and one seemed as if it were coming untied. He wore a white tank top topped by an open button-down red flannel shirt. His face was gruff looking, like he hadn't been getting much sleep, and his hair was tousled slightly from the work. But those same blue eyes she fell in love with twinkled when his gaze fell upon her, and he dropped the plank on the lawn in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Troy sneered.

"You don't have to act like that," Gabriella stated calmly. "I deserve to be treated with more respect than that, Troy Bolton."

"You deserve to get the hell off my property, Gabriella Montez."

"I believe my name is on that property document too, thank you very much," She stated matter-of-factly.

"Documents mean nothing nowadays," Troy laughed scornfully. "You lost the right to call this your property when you stepped off it ten years ago."

Gabriella shrunk back, biting her lip. "That's what I came here about..."

"Yeah, I'm sure. What did you expect, huh? A homecoming party? A fancy dinner at the restaurant up the road where I'd apologize a million times over and beg for you to come back?"

She shook her head. "No... I just... I wanted to... fix things with us, Troy."

His back was to her now, and he froze in his spot. "There's nothing you can do."

"I can try," Gabriella started optimistically.

Troy spun around to face her again. "You can't try, Gabriella! You can't fix things between us! We're way beyond repair! You left!"

"You told me to!"

"You thought I was serious!"

"You didn't come after me..."

Just then the screen door banged open and a young girl, around age eleven, stepped out onto the porch. She was wearing pale pink shorts, a gray tank top, and a white hoodie with the sleeves rolled up. She was also barefoot, and her brown hair sat half-brushed on her shoulders. Gabriella felt as though she was gazing in a mirror when her eyes fell upon this young child. Her bright blue eyes scanned the situation slightly, but not enough to see the argument that was taking place.

"Dad, Mocha got into the sugar cane again and it's all over the kitc-"

She seemed to notice something was wrong and looked from her father to the woman talking to him before uttering, "Oh god," and heading back indoors with a slam of the screen door.

Gabriella glanced back at Troy. "Was... Was that...?"

Troy looked down. "Yes."

There was a short silence before Troy broke it again. "Look, I've really got a lot to work to do with the dock. Come by another time, alright?"

She nodded speechlessly and headed off in the direction of her house, the promise of seeing him again soon hanging in the air. Troy sighed and carried the plank of wood to the back of his house, dropping it on the dock before walking the short distance up the steps to the house. He slid the glass door open and stepped inside, glancing around for his daughter and noticing she'd done the dishes without being asked again. He grinned, knowing he'd have to thank her later, before calling out for her.

"Becca Jane!"

"In the kitchen, Daddy!"

He crossed into the room and found her sweeping up the sugar their new puppy had gotten into. "Sweetheart, you didn't have to-"

But Rebecca Bolton was not falling for this change of subject. "Who was that, Dad?"

Troy sighed. "That... was your mother."


	2. A Second Chance Not Granted

**Hey guys, what's up? You know what? I'll yell you what's up. I'm soooo freaking happy with the feedback I received. Seriously, 31 reviews for one chapter? I love you all, and thank you for giving this story a chance. I just want to explain something very quickly- the rest of the chapters of this story will start with a flashback from Troy and Gabriella's childhood, just so you all can get a sense of how well they used to get along and close they were. The italicized portions will not really have any tie in to the story, until the last one, which will be the fight they had leading to the divorce... but that's all I'm giving away!!**

**I own nothing. Keep the reviews coming please!!**

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Chapter Two: A Second Chance Not Granted

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"_Mrs. Bolton! Mrs. Bolton!!" Four-year-old Gabriella Montez called out to her best friend's mother, running up their driveway and almost tripping on her flower-studded flip-flops as she did so. "Mrs. Bolton!!"_

_Laura Bolton came to the screen door, still her in her nightgown, robe and slippers, a coffee cup in her hands. "Gabriella, what are you doing here so early?"_

"_It's the last day of school, Mrs. Bolton!!" Gabriella shrieked excitedly, stepping into the house and kicking off her shoes. "Do ya know what that means?"_

"_Pre-school is over?"_

"_No!" She giggled. "It means that it's summertime!! Me an' Troy got lotsa plans this summer, Mrs. Bolton. Is he ready??"_

"_I'm not sure," Laura glanced up the staircase at her son's closed bedroom door. "You could always go up and check."_

"_Okay!" She sprinted up the stairs, almost running into Jack Bolton on the way. "Sorry Mr. Bolton!"_

_Jack laughed whole-heartedly. "Good morning to you too, Gabriella."_

_Her little fists banged against her best friend's bedroom door. "TROY!! Hurry up!!"_

_A few moments later, the door swung open, revealing a grinning, four-year-old Troy Bolton, who reached out and enveloped his best friend in a heartwarming hug. "Hi Gabriella. You're real early."_

"_I know," She giggled, skipping into his room and jumping upon his soft, unmade bed. "I wanted to be extra early to our last day of school."_

"_Next year, we're gonna be in kindergarten! You know what that means."_

"_Yeah," She laughed. "We get to ride the school bus!"_

"_That's gonna be so fun!"_

"_My sister Samantha says that the bus driver listens to crazy music!" Gabriella giggled. "She said that the older kids get to sit with whoever they want and you don't have to wear seatbelts!"_

_He looked at her skeptically. "Really? How does she know?"_

"_Sam's a big kid!! She's in second grade, ya know."_

"_Right."_

_Troy hopped on the bed next to her and they were quiet for a little while. She glanced around his room, her eyes following the white border across his blue walls, leading her eye up to his ceiling, which had a basketball overhead light and ceiling fan. All over the room there were pictures of the two of them, whether they were alone or with Chad and Jason by the lake, or just simply hanging out together. They'd known each other since they were born, seeing as their fathers were the best of friends and their mothers worked together. Troy nudged her arm._

"_I'll race ya to your mom's van!"_

"_You got it!"_

"_Last one there's a rotten fish!"_

_Gabriella giggled. "It's egg, silly!!"_

_Troy shrugged. "Whatever."_

"_Hold on," She stopped him at the top of the stairs. "I gotta tie my shoe."_

_Troy nodded and stopped, but Gabriella ran past him, laughing the whole way._

"_Hey wait!" Troy called after her, running to catch up. "You're not wearing shoelaces!!"_

"_Try and catch me, slowpoke!"_

--

"My mother?" Rebecca questioned, the very words feeling strange on her tongue. "Really?"

"Beck, we're not going to talk about this now." Troy told her, retreating to the dock.

Rebecca frowned. Her father always refused to talk about her mother. She didn't know the true story behind their split, but knew it had happened when she was about eighteen months old and her father was extremely bitter about it. She didn't know whether it was Troy's fault or her mother's, but she truly wanted to get to the bottom of it. When she was seven and asked about her mother for the first time, her father had given her an old picture of them from their wedding. Rebecca cherished that one picture, and carried it in her pocket wherever she went. She pulled it out of her pocket now and took a look. Sure enough, the happy woman grinning back at her was the same woman she saw on her front lawn just moments before.

She followed her father out onto the dock. "Dad why? Why won't you ever talk about her?"

Troy paused slightly. "Becca, your mother... she's wonderful. She's beautiful and smart and funny and simply amazing."

"Then..." Rebecca started. "Why aren't you together? If you have so many nice things to say about her-"

"Because she left." He stated simply, and continued drilling the loose plank into the dock.

Rebecca sighed. She knew there was nothing more she could get from her father at this time. Slowly, she retreated back to the house and closed the sliding glass door. She climbed the curved stairs to her father's bedroom and sat cross-legged on the floor. She knew her father had kept all of his old high school yearbooks and knew for a fact that her mother had gone there as well. Opening it up, Rebecca found her mother immediately, right next to one of her old best friends, Taylor McKessie. Rebecca was best friends with Taylor's daughter, Kylie. She smiled gently at the picture of her mother and father at prom, and then at homecoming, and a pep rally... they looked so happy.

So what had happened? She intended on finding out.

* * *

Gabriella was determined to talk to Troy.

There was so much he thought he knew and she really needed to explain herself. But then again, it was his fault, wasn't it? He was the one who had started the argument in the first place and had been the one who suggested she leave. She never really planned on leaving. Honestly, she hadn't. But she was so mad. So completely _pissed_ that it seemed that that was the only solution- just to get away for a while. Unfortunately, a while turned out to be ten years, and now she'd missed out on the greatest thing that could ever happen to her.

Motherhood.

Little- well, maybe she wasn't so little anymore- Rebecca Jane Bolton hadn't had a mother at all in her life. How could she have left her like that? Sure, she and Troy were in such a horrible argument, but her daughter needed her. Being a girl and growing up without a mother was never something anyone should go through. And she was doing such a thing to her daughter completely unintentionally. And why? Because, when she left, all she was thinking about was how _she_ was going to be away from her problems?

How could she have been so selfish?

Gabriella drew in a deep breath and exhaled in a sigh as she approached her old house once more. She knocked twice and waited, the silence surrounding her so agonizingly stale. After the five minutes that felt like thirty, Rebecca answered the door, seemingly surprised that her mother- the word still felt foreign to her- was standing before her. Her brown hair was tied into pigtails at her shoulders and she was wearing cutoff jean shorts and a white tank top. She shuffled her feet around before speaking.

"Um... hi."

"Hi hun," Gabriella smiled sweetly. Rebecca looked away. "Uh... is your father home?"

She shook her head. "Nope. He went down to Old Man Perkins's house to pick up some bolts and nails. He should be back soon."

"Oh. Okay. Would you mind if I stayed a while until he comes back?"

Rebecca bit her lip apprehensively, a trait she'd inherited from her mother. "Um... I guess that would be alright. Come on in."

"Thanks."

She walked back into the house, heading for the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of lemonade. "Want some?"

Gabriella turned to her and smiled genuinely. "No thanks."

Glancing around the house, Gabriella relished the fact that nothing had changed since she'd left. The hallway leading to the bathroom was still dark, even though they'd always talked about installing a lighting fixture in the ceiling. The kitchen was still painted that sunny warm yellow with the white counters and grayish marble countertops. The wicker furniture was still there. The soft couch and small television. The dog bed. Everything was still exactly the same. A sort of scratching sound came from the sliding glass door and Rebecca set her glass down gingerly to open the door for her energetic puppy.

"Mocha, how many times I gotta tell you not to scratch the glass?" Rebecca scolded as the small dog cowered.

"She looks new," Gabriella commented. Rebecca nodded.

"Yeah, she's only three months old. We got her cheap. Only fifty dollars."

"Where's Mudslide?" Gabriella asked suddenly, recalling the chocolate lab she and Troy acquired after graduating high school.

"Oh," Rebecca frowned. "He got real old and sick. Dad had to put him to sleep last year."

Her mother's face fell. "No..."

"Yeah. It was so sad."

As Gabriella ran this new information through her mind, Rebecca seemed to get more and more uncomfortable. She poured some fresh water into her puppy's bowl before turning back to Gabriella. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why'd you come back?"

If there was anything Gabriella had been expecting, this clearly wasn't it. "What?"

The eleven-year-old shrugged. "I don't know, it's just... you left and Dad said you were never comin' back. And now... you're here. Did you just decide that now you wanna have a family?"

Gabriella gulped. "That's not it at all, actually. I've just been thinking about you two a lot lately."

"But why?" She prodded. "Dad said you didn't care."

"Of course I care. But I'm not surprised that your father told you that. He's... not too happy with me right about now."

Rebecca looked her square in the eye. "I'm not sure if I am either."

The purr of a motor was heard from outside and Rebecca said, "That's Dad. Have a good talk," before heading outside to greet her father properly. Gabriella sighed, knowing what her daughter just said was exactly what she deserved. She watched from the window as Troy hugged Rebecca, kissing the top of her head while she hugged him with all her might. They talked briefly before she headed down the street. Troy hauled a large crate of bolts and nails from the back of his pick-up truck before walking inside and nearly dropping it upon the sight of her.

"Gabriella," He sighed in frustration. "What do you want from me?"

"Troy, I just want to talk." She stated calmly. "I really think I should explain what happened."

"I don't need your explanation. We got mad, we argued, you left. That's the end in my book."

He slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the dock, towing the crate of metal with him. She followed persistently. "Can we please just talk? I know that you're so angry with me right now because I left... but can you blame me?"

Troy paused.

"Honestly, Troy Bolton. I know there is a little bit of goodness still left in you," Her chest heaved as she tried in vain to get every emotion out. "But you literally told me to leave! You're mad, I know you're mad, but you're also the one who said that we'd be better off if I left. So I did! And are we better off? No!"

"Gabriella, stop."

"Do you think I enjoyed missing every single moment of my daughter's life?" She pressed on, ignoring his warning. "Do you know how horrible it feels to not have been there to hear her first words? Or to see her first steps? Or how about the first time she went to school? Or the first homework assignment she got stuck on? I wasn't there, Troy!! I wasn't there!"

"Gabriella..."

"You're acting like I _wanted_ to leave. Like I was happier in my life away from you guys. Well newsflash: I was completely miserable!"

"Gabriella!" Troy screamed, silencing her. "I meant for you to leave temporarily! I wanted you to go to your parents' house and cool off while I did the same! I wanted to work things out!! I didn't mean for you to fly off to freaking New York!"

Her eyes widened when she realized his real intention. "I never..."

"I know," He sighed, composing himself slightly. "You didn't know. But now you do. That's what I meant, Gabriella. We could've worked things out. We always had."

She nodded, stepping closer to him, but he stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't think you're getting a second chance. You lost that when you landed in 'the Big Apple'."

She nodded, knowing Troy truly had given up all hope.


	3. What You Left Behind

**Seriously, I am still astonished by your reviews for this story. Thank so so much and keep them coming!! This chapter involves Gabriella getting drunk, which isn't a normal Gabriella type thing, I know. But still, go with it. You know how OOC this story is already, and this just makes it even crazier. You still can feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns about this chapter, but most of your questions will be answered within the rest of the chapters to come. Thanks!**

**I own nothing. Nothing, I say!**

* * *

Chapter Three: What You Left Behind

--

_A soft knock came at the door on a wintry February afternoon at the Bolton household. Laura was on the telephone with her sister who lived in Tucson, and hated to put her on hold on account of the sharp expenses of long distance calling. However, she knew exactly who was at the door, and figured her son could use some cheering up in his time of ailment. She said her goodbyes with her sister and walked quickly to the front door, not wanting to leave the young girl in that harsh cold any longer._

_The door swung open and revealed six-year-old Gabriella Montez, dressed in blue jeans, a sweater, and white sneakers, her hair neatly done in soft braids. She grinned toothlessly at Laura when she opened the door, having just lost her two front teeth a week or so beforehand. "Morning Mrs. Bolton."_

"_Good morning, Gabriella," Laura sweetly addressed the little girl. "How are you, sweetheart?"_

"_Fine. How are you?" For a six-year-old, she had impeccable manners._

"_I'm great, honey. Happy birthday, by the way. I'm so sorry we couldn't make it yesterday."_

"_Thank you," She smiled again, revealing the hole in her teeth alignment. "It's okay. But I really missed Troy."_

"_Well he's not feeling too well. I'm sure he'd love to see you, though. But make sure you don't stay too long. We don't want you to catch whatever he's got, do we?"_

_Gabriella shook her head, her braids rattling on her shoulders. "Okay Mrs. Bolton."_

_Hurrying up the stairs, she stopped outside of her best friend's room and knocked twice before opening the door and stepping inside. Six-year-old Troy Bolton was tucked gently into his bed, half-asleep and looking as if he'd been sick for weeks rather than just a day or two. His bedside table, which usually had a lamp, an alarm clock, and a picture of the two of them on it was cleared off, now holding a box of Kleenex, a glass of orange juice, chicken soup, and Children's Motrin. He smiled sleepily at her and she pulled up a chair beside his bed._

"_Hiya Troy."_

"_Hi Gabriella. Happy birthday," He ousted immediately. "Sorry I couldn't come to your party yesterday."_

"_That's okay, Troy. I knew you were sick."_

"_How does it feel to be six?"_

_She laughed softly. "Well you know. It's only one more than five!"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Do you feel any better?"_

_He shook his head. "No. My head hurts, my throat is scratchy, and I can't breathe through my nose."_

"_Aww, poor Troy," Gabriella cooed, wiping some sticky hair from his eyes._

"_And all of this happened on winter break!" He whined. "This stinks."_

"_Yeah it does," Gabriella agreed. "I don't know who to play with!"_

_Troy was about to respond when he broke out into a coughing fit. He sat up in bed, waiting for it to subside while Gabriella rubbed his back comfortingly. "It's okay, Troy. Don't try to talk. You're too sick."_

"_I hate being sick. It's no fun."_

"_I know," Gabriella sighed, stroking his hair and lulling him to sleep._

_The door opened a few moments later and Laura poked her head in. "Gabriella honey, I really don't want you to get sick too. I'm pretty sure what Troy's got is contagious. I think you should leave now."_

"_No!" Gabriella cried in horror. __"I wanna stay with Troy."_

"_Please, Mommy?" Troy begged. "Can she stay with me?"_

_Laura smiled warmly. "Well... alright. But only if it's okay with Maria. I'll have to call her."_

_The door closed again and Gabriella turned to Troy. "I'm sure it'll be okay, Troy. I'm not gonna leave you for one second."_

_A few days later, while it was nearing the end of their winter break, Troy was feeling one hundred percent better. His fever had gone away and he was no longer showing any symptoms from his cold. He couldn't wait to go see Gabriella so they could play before winter break ended and they had to go back to school. He zipped up his coat and pulled on his boots before running the whole way to Gabriella's house. He said a quick hello to Mrs. Montez and raced up the stairs to her bedroom. But when he opened the door, Gabriella was still lying in her frilly pink bed._

"_Gabriella? I'm all better now! Let's go outside! We can play!"_

"_I can't," Gabriella smiled weakly. "I'm sick."_

--

Cold Water Lake hadn't changed at all.

It took Gabriella about twenty minutes into her third day home to realize that nothing had been modified since she left. As she wandered down Stone Springs road, watching the kids laugh and chase each other up and down, she noticed just how much she had truly missed her hometown. The sidewalk outside the school with the rickety old bench was still there, and, she remembered, it was where she, Troy, and their other good friend Jason Cross used to have lunch every afternoon. The old library, which should've closed down years ago, was still open, and she watched as a man and his son entered, chatting contentedly with each other. This was what home felt like. This was what she had been missing.

"Oh my god, Gabriella Montez?" A voice sounded from behind her. "Is that you?"

Gabriella turned around and came face to face with a dark skinned woman, about her age. She was squinting through the hot sun, trying to make out whether it was her or not, and her eyes widened when she realized it was. Stepping off the sidewalk onto the hot gravel, the woman came closer to her, dragging her two kids along with her. She was wearing a denim skirt and a white t-shirt, her dark hair pulled back at the nape of her neck. Beside her was a young boy, around age eight or nine, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, and a girl, about ten or eleven, in a yellow sundress. Gabriella smiled. _Taylor McKessie_.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Taylor sighed. "Is this really you or are you a mirage?"

Gabriella laughed slightly. "Um... no, it's really me. Hi Taylor."

"Gabriella!" Taylor shrieked again, pulling her into a hug. "Oh my god. It's been way too long."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately," She agreed. "It's great to see you again."

"Same here," Taylor agreed. "You look amazing. Is this what New York can do for you?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I look the same."

The latter shook her head, however, in disagreement. "No no, you look different. I can't really tell what it is, but there's something different about you. In a good way, don't worry. But... I can't put my finger on it."

"Oh..."

"Have you stopped by to see Ryan or Zeke yet?"

She shook her head. "I haven't seen anyone yet. Just you and Troy."

Taylor bit her lip. "Ooh, how'd that go?"

"Don't want to talk about it," Gabriella sighed, then motioned towards her friend's children. "Your kids are gorgeous, Taylor. They look like you."

"You think so?" She asked genuinely. "Because every person I meet tells me they look like Chad."

Gabriella only laughed in reply.

"This is Kylie, my older. She's eleven, and friends with Rebecca, actually. Really good friends," Taylor introduced. Kylie smiled shyly. "And this one's Nathan. He's eight and my trouble-maker. Just like his father, of course."

"Hi!" Nathan greeted Gabriella with a wave.

"Hi Nathan. It's nice to meet you. You too, Kylie."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Well," Taylor began to end their conversation. "We're on our way to the dentist. I'm sure you'll find everyone else around here. It's not a big town. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriella smiled. "I'll see you."

She watched as Taylor and her children headed off down the street and realized that it _wasn't_ a large town, and that she'd run into everyone she knew from high school sooner or later. She could tell that as people passed her on the streets they were giving her a second glance, and then turning to the person they were walking and conversing with and asked, '_Is that..?_' She wondered if they realized it really was her, or if they even cared. A third glance was taken before they continued off in their own ways. Gabriella sighed. _I better get used to this. I might get it for a long time_.

Before she knew it, she ended up at the old restaurant at the beginning of the street. The wooden door jingled when she yanked it open and stepped inside, the cool rush of air conditioning so refreshing from the hot humid air outside. The hostess, a middle aged woman with wispy brown hair, didn't even seem to notice that she'd stepped in, and continued sorting out the mess of menus in front of her. Gabriella wasn't hungry, so she wasn't going to need a table anyway. She was curious to see anyone else she'd missed in the past, and found a whole lot more.

"Well, well, well," A husky voice bellowed from beside her. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Gabriella whirled to face this voice, a voice she'd know anywhere, and grinned. "Chad!"

Chad Danforth gathered her into a hug which lasted for a minute or two before breaking away and holding her shoulders forcefully. "Man... where the hell have you been?"

Gabriella felt her cheeks go pink. "Um, well... it's complicated."

"Not really. I talked to Bolton. I got his side of the story. Now let's hear yours."

"I don't think that's necessary."

"I do," A voice added from behind Chad before Zeke Baylor's face came into view. "I definitely want to hear your version."

"Me too," Ryan Evans agreed. "I just gotta finish my shift. Can you wait?"

"You guys," Gabriella sighed in frustration. "If Troy already told you, then you know what happened."

They groaned. "Fine. You don't have to tell."

"Thank you."

"So what's New York like?" Zeke asked finally, ushering Gabriella into a booth. "Is it as amazing as everyone says it is?"

"Well... kind of," Gabriella admitted truthfully. "Honestly, I loved it. It was great, but at the same time, I really missed this place. I mean, New York was very cold and busy; you're constantly moving. But here it's like... everyone's so warm and inviting... I guess that's one of the things I missed the most."

"Well it's not like Troy's the only one you left behind," Chad replied huffily. "We missed you too, you know."

"Oh Chad, don't think for a minute that I didn't miss you. All of you, oh god, of course I missed you." Gabriella suddenly felt horrible. "I'm sorry... I guess I never realized that my departure affected you just as much as it did Troy."

"Well you should've," Zeke responded quietly. "Because it did."

* * *

"Becca Jane, can you come down here a second?"

Rebecca pushed back from her desk in her bedroom and turned off the light, padding down the softly carpeted stairway and into the living room where her father awaited her. He was spinning his car keys on one finger and waiting to inform his daughter of the evening plans he had set out with his friends. She gave her father the once-over, noting at his old t-shirt and battered jeans that so badly needed to be thrown out and replaced. She knew, no doubt, that it was going to another evening at the pool house bar with the guys.

"Dad, you need new jeans."

A pang of emotion flashed across his face and Rebecca didn't know how to pick it, whether it was hurt or more of a serious tone. She decided not to remind him; even though she believed his reaction was somewhat ridiculous she knew it must have had something to do with a past action. Troy glanced down at his jeans, his face softer than before as he picked at one of the holes on his right leg, feeling the soft fabric of frayed jeans between his fingers and completely lost in thought. It hurt Rebecca to see her father like this. She knew something had happened a while back and he still hadn't let go.

"Are you alright Dad?"

Troy snapped from his reverie and shrugged it off. "Oh... yeah. Don't worry about me. I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading up to-"

"-the bar to play pool with 'the guys'?" Rebecca finished, challenging him.

He laughed. "Am I that predictable?"

She shrugged. "No. You just do that a lot."

"Okay. Well that's where I'm going. I tried to get your grandmother to come stay with you, but-"

"Dad," Rebecca complained. "I'm eleven years old. I can stay home by myself. Grandma just got her hip replaced and does not need to be coming down here. Go, Dad. Have fun. I'll be fine."

Troy walked the short distance to his daughter and kissed the top of her head. "Love you. Get to bed by nine, okay?"

"Yes. Love you too, Dad."

Troy headed out to his truck and unlocked it, hopping in behind the wheel and sticking the key into the ignition. As his truck sprang to life and sat idle for a few moments, Troy rested his hands on the steering wheel in deep thought and contemplation. He needed to give Gabriella a second chance. He knew he did, even though she had punished him by leaving so refusing to give her the second chance would be a reversed punishment. But... he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't like that and he and Gabriella had such a history...

It just couldn't be forgotten.

He pulled into the parking lot of the pool house and bar and jumped down from his car, locking it behind him as he walked to the door of the building. Pulling the door open, a strong waft of cigarette smoke and alcohol filled the air surrounding him as he stepped inside, scanning the pool tables for his group of friends. A few of the people waved and greeted him and Troy managed a simple nod back, heading over to where Chad, Zeke, and Ryan were waiting, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed they were also waiting with Gabriella.

"Who invited you?" Troy asked impolitely, grabbing a pool stick a cue from behind Zeke.

"We're just tryin' to get the full story from her," Zeke answered. "She won't talk."

"You guys, I told you what happened." Gabriella argued, downing her third martini that night.

"What are you doing to her?" Troy probed amusedly as Chad ordered another martini.

"Getting her drunk," Chad grinned. "Payback's a bitch, son."

Gabriella glared at him. "I'm not drunk. I only had... one."

"Uh-huh," Ryan laughed. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Look," She stood, gripping her purse. "New Yorkers do not get drunk. We are much better brought up than that. We don't need to get drunk to have a good time."

The four guys looked at each other, clearly insulted, before Ryan addressed her. "Excuse me, but... you were brought up _here_. I don't know who the hell gave you the right to come back and insult all of your friends and family, but the snotty Big Apple Yankee bitch attitude is getting stale."

"Oh Ryan, you gay men think you're _so_ tough."

Ryan's eyes widened. "I'm not gay!"

"Oh really?" She laughed drunkenly. "And when did that change?"

Zeke stepped up to the plate. "Listen Gabriella, you have some _nerve_ coming back here and talking like this to the people who've loved you so much. You're no better than any of us, and here you are, acting like you're the shit!"

Gabriella, finishing off another martini, replied with, "Zeke, why don't you get Sharpay knocked up again? That'll make, what, the seventh time? Have you ever heard of a condom? Or did they run out of those down here in hick-ville?"

"Okay, this show's over," Troy stepped in and grabbed Gabriella's arm even as she protested and fought against his grip. He shot sympathetic looks at the guys she'd insulted and dragged her outside.

"I cannot _believe_ you just spoke to them like that!" Troy sneered. "Those people are your friends! We freaking grew up with them and now a decade away from them in hoity-toity land you come back here and think you're better than them! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Gabriella yanked her arm away from him, stumbling back a little drunkenly. "I am better than them! You all were mocking me down here anyway. Like Chad said, payback's a bitch. It's not like any of that stuff wasn't true."

"It doesn't matter if it was!" Troy continued, still attempting to get her to his truck. "You were in no position to say any of that!"

"Oh big deal, they'll all forget it by tomorrow anyway. You know that."

"I don't think so, Gabriella. They're so pissed off right now."

"Forgive and forget, have you ever learned that?" She counteracted. Her eyes were so bloodshot red and she was beginning to slur her words. Troy rolled his eyes and pulled the passenger door open, pushing her through it. "What the hell are you doing, anyway?"

"You cannot walk home tonight. You can't even walk in a straight line."

"I don't need you taking care of me," Gabriella argued, but didn't fight as he began to drive down the long road home.

"Well you aren't going to look too appealing if you show up at your parents' house like this."

After a short silence, in which Troy thought she'd passed out, she finally came up with, "Troy... I think I'm drunk."

"Wow, really?" He stated sarcastically. "You don't say."

"Will you be mad if..."

"If?"

"If I throw up in your truck?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Then pull over."

After she'd discontinued vomiting the alcohol out of her stomach, she stumbled back to the truck where Troy was waiting patiently. He knew it wasn't in his best interest to argue with her, but she got back into the truck willingly and after a few minutes, promptly passed out. Troy had to laugh at the way she looked in her deep slumber as he pulled into the driveway of his home. He carried her bridal-style into the house and placed her down gingerly on the couch. Covering her with an old blanket, Troy watched for a moment as she slept and then shook his head, heading up the staircase to his bedroom to change out of his t-shirt and old jeans...

...The jeans she'd given him for his birthday ten years ago.


	4. Reprimand and Reparations

**Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews and the comments. They are all welcomed and appreciated. But I do have to point some things out. One- yes, this is Troyella. Even though it probably won't be for another few chapters, it was always planned as being a Troyella story... just very OOC. Two- even though the last chapter resembled a scene in Sweet Home Alabama, I am not writing this story based off of the movie. I don't want to get people thinking that what happened in the movie is exactly what is going to happen in this story, because I didn't base this off of that movie. Okay? I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that.**

**"Listen Up"? Based off of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. "Home Sweet Home"? Based off of my own creative mind. :)**

**I own nothing. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Chapter Four: Reprimand and Reparations

--

"_I can swing higher than you can!!"_

_8-year-old Troy Bolton frowned as he glanced at his best friend. "No you can't."_

"_Yes I can!!" Gabriella insisted. "Wanna bet?"_

"_No you can't," Troy repeated. "'Cause boys are stronger than girls. So we can go higher."_

_The eight-year-old girl nearly laughed in his face before running to the swing set in his backyard by the lake. "They are not! Girls are wayyy stronger!"_

_He followed her, frustrated that she would not agree with him. "No! They really aren't! Who told you that?"_

"_Sharpay Evans," Gabriella stated matter-of-factly, sitting upon the left swing while Troy sat next to her on the right. "She said that girls are stronger than boys because they can make boys do anything they want them too."_

"_That's not true!"_

"_Really?" She challenged him, kicking her shoe off. "Troy, I lost my shoe. Can you get it for me?"_

"_Sure," He obliged, picking it up and handing it to her. She giggled hysterically until he realized what he'd just done. "Hey! That's not fair! I was just being nice!"_

"_Nuh uh!" Gabriella shook her head. "I just made you do what I wanted you to do. See? Girls are stronger."_

_Troy sat back in a huff. "Whatever. I can still swing higher than you."_

"_No you can't!"_

"_Yes I can!"_

"_Fine! Let's do it then!"_

_The two pushed off and swung until they could easily wrap around the beam holding the swing set together. Gabriella called out to Troy. "How do we know who's higher?"_

"_Um..." He thought for a minute before shouting, "I got it!"_

"_How?" She yelled back._

"_We'll jump off, and whoever lands farther is the one who swung higher!"_

"_That's stupid!"_

"_No it's not!" He argued angrily. "Anyway, you got a better idea?"_

"_... No."_

"_Then let's do it!"_

"_Fine! On the count of three."_

"_One..."_

"_Two..."_

"_Three!"_

_Troy and Gabriella leaped from their respective swings to the soft grass below them. Troy tumbled and rolled a little before stopping and sat up, brushing at the newly acquired grass stains on his shorts that he knew his mother wouldn't be too happy about. He glanced back at the swing set, which looked miles away and grinned triumphantly. He'd won, hadn't he? Standing up, he pumped his fists in the air._

"_Woo! Victory is mine!" But there was no response from Gabriella. He looked around for her. "Gabriella?"_

_He spotted her a few feet away, sitting and clutching her ankle. He laughed. "Don't even try it, Gabriella! I won, fair and square!"_

_She glanced up at him and he gasped, noticing that she was crying. "I'm n-not trying anything, T-Troy. I really hurt my a-ankle."_

_Troy rushed to her side. "You're bleeding."_

"_I know. And it hurts."_

"_I'm sorry. That was a bad idea."_

_She glared at him. "I told you that."_

_He put his hands up in defense. "You did it anyway!"_

"_I wish I didn't."_

"_Can you walk on it?"_

"_I haven't tried."_

_Troy stood and held out his hand. "Come on, I'll help you. My mom can put a Band-Aid on it and make you all better."_

_She slipped her hand in his and he pulled her up off the ground. The first step she took was painful, but she suffered through it. Troy placed her right arm around his shoulders and helped her hobble through the fresh cut grass to the house. Laura had seemed surprised to see Gabriella in tears and Troy in shock, clearly upset about his hurt best friend. She lifted the girl onto the counter by the bathroom sink and cleaned off her cut, placing a blue polka dot Band-Aid on the gash._

"_There you go, honey. All better."_

"_Thank you."_

_Gabriella hopped off the counter and Troy looked at her timidly, afraid that she'd be mad at him for making her jump off the swing in the first place. But she simply walked over and gave him a hug. "You're my best friend ever, Troy."_

_He just smiled and replied, "You're mine too."_

--

_Where the hell am I?_

Gabriella opened her eyes and then shut them forcefully as a blinding white light flashed through her vision. She groaned and covered her closed eyes with her hands as she sat up on the couch, pushing back the soft blanket that covered her. A shooting pain coursed through her brain like a bullet, and she waited for it to pass, but it remained, pulsating against her skull with incessant pain. She opened her eyes gently, wincing at the extremely bright light coming from the windows, and jumped at the sudden sound in the kitchen.

"Oh, sorry!" Rebecca was quick to apologize. "I didn't know you were awake."

Glancing at the kitchen counter, Gabriella smiled weakly at the young girl, who was seated upon a stool in her pajamas- a pair of lounge shorts and an old tank top- and eating scrambled eggs and toast with fresh squeezed orange juice. Gabriella had to admit that the breakfast smelled delicious, but in another way it was making her nauseous, and she still didn't have any clue as to why she was here, in Troy Bolton's living room, sleeping on his couch. She coughed and got up the nerve to ask Rebecca what had happened the previous night, but she beat her to it.

"Um... do you know what happened last night?" Rebecca asked quietly.

Gabriella laughed slightly, but her throbbing headache limited the hilarity. "I was just going to ask you the same question. I have this horrible headache and I don't know how I got here."

"Well I'd expect you'd have a bad headache. That is one of the symptoms of a hangover."

"A hangover?"

Rebecca nodded. "Dad said you were pretty drunk last night."

"Oh god..."

Troy entered the room just then, fresh from the shower- Gabriella could smell his sweet shampoo- and kissed the top of his daughter's head, who just grinned in response. Then he motioned towards Gabriella. "Hey, it's alive."

Rebecca stood and placed her dishes in the dishwasher before pouring a glass of water and acquiring a few Advil tablets. She handed them over to Gabriella pleasantly. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

"Beck, what are your plans for the day?" Troy asked from the kitchen where he was mixing different fruits and yogurts in the blender.

"Kylie and I are going to the library," She replied. "We got a late start on summer reading."

"School just ended last week."

"I know!" Rebecca exclaimed, heading up the stairs. "Late start!"

Troy laughed, shaking his head as he poured his mixed concoction into a glass, added some unidentified powder, and walked into the living room, handing it to Gabriella. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"The grossest smoothie you'll ever drink in your life," He admitted truthfully. "But it takes away a hangover, that's for sure."

Gabriella brought the glass to her lips and almost gagged at the smell. "You want me to drink this?"

"You want a hangover?"

She shook her head and drank the whole glass disgusting smoothie, nearly vomiting at the horrid taste. She handed the empty glass to him and he brought it back to the kitchen and placed it in the dishwasher. "That's horrible."

"Isn't it? Does wonders, though."

Troy began making his own breakfast while Gabriella watched silently, trying to find a way to bring up last night. She sighed. "Troy, what happened last night? Rebecca said I was-"

"Insanely drunk," Troy finished. "Yeah."

"Yeah..."

He crossed the room and sat on the arm of the couch. "You were drinking martinis with Chad, Zeke, and Ryan when I got to the bar last night. Chad said you were on your third and they were mocking you and everything and I guess... you just sort of flipped out."

"What did I say?" She inquired. "I can't remember any of this."

"That's not surprising. You were pretty wasted," He said. "You ousted that Ryan was gay, which, by the way, he isn't. He was so hurt by that, though, because you know how everyone treated him in high school. They were horrible to him. You told Zeke to go, and I quote, 'knock up Sharpay.'"

"Oh my god..."

"You said that you were better than them, too. Than us."

"I didn't mean it!" Gabriella cried. "I truly didn't mean it."

"Well drunks aren't known for their good judgment."

"But why am I... here?"

Troy looked down, suddenly becoming interested in the couch upholstery. "You threw up on the side of the road and then passed out in my truck. I figured your parents wouldn't want to see you like that."

She smiled. "Thanks Troy."

"Eh, whatever. It's over."

Troy stood and retreated to the kitchen, starting the dishwasher and forgetting anything that had happened the previous night. Gabriella sighed, knowing she still hadn't gotten through to him, but even more that she had _a lot_ to apologize for. She stood, feeling so much better already, thanked Troy one last time and stepped out of the house. She was feeling horrible about what she'd said to all of her friends- the friends that had always been there for her, in good times and in bad. And now, she was acting as if she was so much better than them... when clearly she was exactly the same.

* * *

"... and I really didn't mean it. You know I'm not like that, Ryan." Gabriella apologized, not seeing if she was getting through to him as he was just staring at her through his dark sunglasses. "I know you're not gay and I'm so sorry I said that because I know that it hurts you when people joke about that... I was just so drunk and... I'm sorry."

Ryan adjusted the bridge of the glasses before saying, "And you're sure you mean it? You're not better than us?"

Gabriella cringed. "I don't even know why I said that. I'm so sorry."

"Well I've got a hair appointment and I'd like to think this was all peace and love but... I don't know if I can forgive you. It'll take a while for you to earn your trust back."

She stared at him. _Is he making a gay joke? Or..._

Ryan laughed at her expression and pulled her into a hug. "I'm kidding!"

"God, that's not funny!"

"Jeez Gabriella, you know how many times people have made gay jokes about me? I had to get in on the fun."

"But I thought they bothered you?"

"They did back then," Ryan explained. "But I've moved on. Who cares, you know? I know the truth. I'm not gay but I have no problem with people who are."

Gabriella smiled. "I'm still really, really sorry."

"Nonsense. You were drunk. You didn't know any better." He waved it off. "But I gotta get going. My shift at the restaurant starts in a few minutes. You wanna come by?"

Her stomach growled and she realized that she hadn't had breakfast this morning and it was already nearing lunchtime. "Sure."

The two walked up the road to the little restaurant and bid their farewells as Ryan disappeared behind the swinging door that led to the kitchen. Gabriella followed the hostess to a table near the back of the restaurant, sat down and ordered a glass of lemonade while she looked over the menu. She realized the menu at this restaurant was probably the only thing that had changed since she'd left. She noted that it modernized significantly, and ordered a hot grilled sandwich with a salad on the side. A cry coming from the table beside her broke out and Gabriella glanced over at the mother, who was surrounded by six little ones.

"Sorry," The mother apologized. "They're a little cranky today."

"No problem..." Gabriella trailed off, realizing who this was. "Sharpay?"

"Oh." Sharpay said shortly. "It's you."

The brunette bit her lip, assuming she'd talked to Zeke. "Sharpay, I'm really sorry about what I said. I don't even know why I said it. It was the dumbest thing I could've ever-"

"No no," Sharpay waved it off. "It was completely justified. I mean, we do have a million kids, as you can tell. And he's the one that wanted them all. I was just fine with one or two."

Gabriella smiled sympathetically.

"But I love every one of them, and I wouldn't change a thing." She continued. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Exactly," She agreed. "They're beautiful, Sharpay."

"Thanks," The blonde beamed, running a hand over the smooth hair of one of her sons. "They're a handful, but I don't know where I'd be without any of them. I mean, Jack's my first born, so he's so special. Connor's my little helper; I'm always trying to find jobs for him around the house because he loves it so much. Meghan's the smart one; she always has an explanation for everything. Tara's like me, the diva, the center of attention. Katie's the quiet one; always happy and obliges with everything. And Jason's the baby. See?"

Gabriella grinned and nodded as she watched the children munch on French fries and chicken fingers. "How old are they?"

"Jack's six, Meghan's four, Connor's three, Tara's five, Katie's two, and Jason's seven months." To Gabriella's surprised expression, she replied, "I know, I know. We had one every year since we were married. It was kind of like an anniversary gift to each other."

"That's sweet. But six kids under seven? That must be hectic."

"Oh it is," She laughed. "I may not have gotten any sleep since my twenty-second birthday, but... it's all worth it."

"And how's motherhood treating you?" Gabriella asked, genuinely interested to know what she'd been missing all these years.

Sharpay grinned. "Gabriella, it's the best feeling in the world."


	5. Reeling Her In

**Wow, yeah, um, okay. I feel like this story is going by so fast. I mean come on, we're already on chapter five? Little Troy and little Gabriella are growing up- they're ten in this flashback- and older Troy and Gabriella are trying to come to terms with their strained relationship. It'll all work out eventually, because, for the eight billionth time, yes, this is a Troyella. But you guys have to be patient. I promise you, it WILL happen.**

**Also, do you guys even read this? Do you even bother to read my author's notes? Because I always answer questions in this context and then you always ask the same question in your review. A good example of this is for my story "Deep." If you read my last author's note, you would see that chapter twelve was the last chapter. So why did you all review asking me to update? It's over!! I feel like everything I'm saying here is pointless because you don't read it anyway. So please take the two minutes to read my short little messages to you. I write them for a reason.**

**I own nothing. :)**

* * *

Chapter Five: Reeling Her In

--

"_Have you caught anything yet?" ten-year-old Gabriella asked, glancing at her best friend. "'Cause my line's dead."_

"_Nope," He confirmed the negative. "Mine too."_

_The two friends were sitting out on the edge of the dock behind Gabriella's house, their legs dangling in the cool lake water, and hoping for a bite at the end of their fishing lines. Maria had packed them a picnic lunch, consisting of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grapes, and freshly squeezed lemonade, which had all been consumed a few minutes before. Now, they sat extremely bored on the edge of the dock, waiting for anything they could catch._

"_This is boring," Gabriella confessed. "Was this my idea?"_

"_Nope. It was mine. But my parents aren't home, so we're at your house," Troy explained. "And yeah, this is boring."_

_A few more minutes went by, and still no movement. Troy sighed. "Maybe we should've gone tubing instead."_

_Gabriella shook her head. "The water's still too cold. We gotta wait till July."_

"_Well is there anything else we can do?"_

"_No," She admitted in defeat. "I almost wish we were still in school."_

"_Don't say that, Gabriella! School's even more boring than this!"_

_Gabriella laughed. "That's true. Hey! Maybe I can get my Dad to take us out on his boat!"_

"_Good idea!"_

"_Okay, I'll just put this away, and go ask-" But then she felt a small tug on her line. "Uh... Troy? I think I've got something!"_

"_Really?" He tossed his fishing pole aside and rushed to her. "Reel it in!!"_

_She tried in great effort, but the fish was winning this battle. "Help me!"_

_The two of them grabbed the wheel and began reeling in the monstrous fish. After a long arduous battle, the fish skimmed the top of the water. It wasn't as big as they expected it to be, but for two ten-year-olds, a sixteen-inch fish was pretty impressive. Gabriella and Troy pulled it onto the dock and watched as it flipped and flopped, gasping for water. He turned to his best friend in question._

"_What should we do with it?"_

_Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know."_

"_I never caught a fish before."_

"_Me either."_

"_I guess we should just throw it back."_

"_Sure..."_

_Just then, Nicholas Montez was walking by and noticed the good sized fish his daughter and her best friend were looming over. "Wow, what a beautiful fish! Did you catch that, Troy?"_

"_No," He answered truthfully, slinging an arm around Gabriella's shoulder. "Gabriella did."_

_Gabriella grinned. "No, we both caught it."_

--

After the truly meaningful talk with Sharpay the prior afternoon, Gabriella knew she wanted nothing more in the world then to make things right with Rebecca. Of course, it would take a ridiculous amount of time- you can't miss out on a little girl's entire life and then expect her to praise your homecoming- but she knew it would be worth it if Rebecca decided to forgive her. Plus, she wasn't going back to New York any time soon, so she had a long time to work things out anyway.

It had been a week and half since her arrival and already things were paved over with Taylor and Chad, Ryan, and Zeke and Sharpay. She hadn't seen Kelsi Nielson yet, and whenever she asked how she was doing, her friends would become really quiet and awkward and reply with a simple, "She's okay." Gabriella thought this was highly suspicious, but never really pursued it. She'd figure out what was really going on eventually, right?

Gabriella and Troy were still in contact, whether he liked it or not he never let on, though secretly he was not willing to let go. She was ready to put their past behind them and start all over but he knew their past went beyond that one fateful night when their marriage ended. They'd known each other for twenty-nine years. Twenty-nine _freaking_ years is a long time to just throw away and start over again. He was certain she didn't mean forgetting about their good times, but how could you think of the good times without ultimately thinking about the bad?

It was June twenty-sixth, a humid early summer afternoon and Gabriella set off for Troy's. The sticky hot weather made her shoulder length curls cling to her neck, no matter how many times she pulled it away. This was one thing she didn't miss when she left- the scorching temperatures under the hazy golden sun. She liked that in New York the four seasons were distinct- rain in the spring, humidity in the summer, crisp breezes in autumn, and snow in winter- while down here in New Mexico, spring, summer, autumn, and winter were all characterized by one factor- heat.

She rang the doorbell at the Bolton's and waited a few minutes for a response. The sun was beating down on her bare shoulders and she silently thanked herself for remembering to put on sun block earlier that morning. When there was no response, she rang the bell again, knocking on the wooden door a few times as well. Troy's truck was absent from the driveway so she knew he wasn't home. Had he taken Rebecca with him? Gabriella glanced in the window and saw no movement inside the home. Just as she was about to retreat to her own dwelling, she realized where the young girl might be.

And she was right. The dock.

Rebecca was seated at the edge of the dock, her legs dangling in cool water as it lapped against her bare ankles. She was alone, and a tackle box sat open beside her as a fishing pole was threaded between her hands. She looked clearly bored, and picked at the frayed ends of her cutoff jeans, watching the thin fishing line and waiting for something to happen beneath the surface. She hadn't noticed Gabriella approached, and probably wouldn't have if she hadn't called out to her.

"Rebecca?"

She turned. "Oh. Hi. Dad's not here. He's working today."

"Oh, I know," Gabriella stated, stepping a few feet closer, the boards of the dock creaking beneath her. "I came to see you, actually."

"Oh... okay." Rebecca didn't really know how to respond.

"Isn't this boring?" Gabriella asked her. "Your father and I used to fish when we were kids. We usually gave up halfway through."

"Well yeah it is boring. But I really wanted to catch something we could eat tonight," She explained. "So you and Dad... you did this too?"

Gabriella smiled at the memory. "Yeah. At least twice a month. We never remembered how boring it can be."

"How old were you?"

"Oh I don't know. We probably started at age five or six."

Her eyes widened. "You two knew each other for that long?"

"Yes. We've known each other since birth." Gabriella sounded shocked that she hadn't known that. "His parents and mine were friends for a long time before and then we just grew up together."

"I didn't know that," Rebecca said quietly, glancing at her fishing line again.

"You didn't?"

She shook her head. "Dad never talks about you. He refuses. I don't know anything about your relationship or what happened. Only... that you left."

Gabriella sighed. She knew that would come up eventually. "Yeah... I left. He didn't tell you why?"

"No."

"Well I'm not going to be the one to tell you it was his fault, but it wasn't entirely mine either," She began to explain. "You were eighteen months old and we were college drop-outs and life was just hectic. He thought we couldn't handle it, I said it would be better if I left- sarcastically, though. I never really meant it. And he told me to leave."

Rebecca's face fell. "So life would be easier if you never had me."

"Oh no, honey, no." Gabriella was quick to reassure. "You were such a blessing. You _are_ such a blessing. Don't ever think that this was your fault."

She exhaled. "Dad never told me any of that. Did he really tell you to go?"

Gabriella nodded. "In a sense. He wanted me to get out of the house for a while so we could both calm down and then work things out. I never knew that, however, and moved to New York. And I left the worst thing behind."

"What was it?"

"You."

Rebecca glanced out at the water. "Well I could've used a mother, that's for sure."

"Everyone deserves one," Gabriella nodded. "And I'll never forgive myself for doing what I did to you. Could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

The eleven-year-old thought this over. "I could try."

She smiled softly. "That's all I ask."

"Well I guess it's a good thing you're here," Rebecca said finally. "Because I have _a lot_ of questions that Dad will never answer."

"I had a feeling he wouldn't. But I thought of some of the questions you might ask and I... thought I answered them in the letters I sent you."

"What letters?" Rebecca asked in confusion.

"I sent you a bunch of letters a few years ago and..." She stopped. "Troy didn't show them to you?"

The younger shook her head. "I never got any letters."

"Unbelievable," Gabriella muttered. Aloud, she said, "I can't believe he hid those from you. I definitely sent you about ten or eleven letters."

"Oh," Rebecca shook her head. "Anyway, I guess you've answered most of the questions I had already. What's New York like?"

"Busy," She expressed freely. "The city never sleeps and you're always on the go. It gets really cold up there in the winter, and no one knows anything about anyone. It's really private."

"So... it's the exact opposite of here?" She proposed, not technically as a question.

"Yeah."

"It sounds okay, I guess. If you wanna get away."

"Oh trust me, it's the perfect place to go if you want to forget all of your troubles."

Upon hearing this, Rebecca turned away and Gabriella bit her lip, realizing that must have been offensive. She didn't mean it in _that_ way, of course, but this girl was only eleven. Even though she was clearly a very smart girl, she didn't know what Gabriella meant. Gabriella didn't even know what she meant. She didn't mean to say it in that way, however- it just came out horridly wrong. In attempt to blow things over, Gabriella decided she wanted to be the one asking questions this time around.

"How have you two been getting along down here?"

Rebecca turned back in her direction cautiously, as if saying the wrong thing would set her off. "Um, fine, I guess. I've been taking care of him, if that's what you mean."

She gave her daughter a strange look. "Taking care of _him_? Why not the other way around?"

"Oh, he has been taking care of me. Always. He's a great dad. It's just... sometimes he needs a push in the right direction. I make dinner sometimes, I always clean up after Mocha, the house is always clean for him when he gets home; you know, that kind of stuff."

"Like traditional housework a wife would do?" Gabriella wanted to know.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Rebecca said. "Housework a wife would do. I have to step in because... because Dad doesn't have a wife."

"That's so sweet of you, Rebecca."

"Thanks," She smiled bashfully. "It's not unusual, really. I just think of it as chores. He always tells me I'm just like- and then stops. He's never finished that sentence."

"Well who do you think he was talking about? His mother?" Gabriella asked curiously.

"Not really," Rebecca admitted truthfully. "I think he was talking about you."

She shook her head vigorously. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure he was talking about someone else."

Rebecca disagreed. "No, I'm sure that it was you. And... it's not so bad being like you anyway."

Gabriella was about to thank her, tell her that she was just the sweetest thing, when all of a sudden, the girl's eyes went wide and she gripped her fishing pole so hard her knuckles turned white from force. "Oh my god! I caught something!"

"You did?"

"Yeah! I never caught something this big before! What do I do?" She asked in panic.

"Keep a firm grip on the pole and reel it in quickly." Gabriella instructed, though not professionally, as she hadn't caught a fish in years.

It seemed to work at first for her, but soon it became a two person job. The pole was shaking in Rebecca's hands and she called out for Gabriella's help. Gabriella, a little wary, stepped towards her and grabbed hold of the pole as well, trying frantically to reel the fish in. Suddenly the fish swam another way, and gave a sharp pull at the line, sending the pole and Rebecca and Gabriella into the lake. Gabriella shrieked, not expected the impact as she was submersed in the lake water she hadn't been in such a long time. The cool water was such a contrast to the deathly hot air outside, and Gabriella wanted to stay beneath the cold veneer forever. She had to find her daughter, though, and came up for air, shouting Rebecca's name anxiously.

"Rebecca! Rebecca!"

Rebecca surfaced a moment later. "I can swim, you know. Anyone who lives on a lake can swim."

"Oh," Gabriella flushed. "Right. Of course."

She swam back towards the dock. "Thanks for helping me catch it."

"No problem," Gabriella followed her, hoisting herself back onto the wooden planks. "Did you get it?"

She nodded. "I had to. Dad would've killed me if I lost the pole."

"I meant the fish."

"Oh," Rebecca grinned, holding it up for her to see as the fish flopped attached to it. "Yeah!"

"Impressive," The older grinned, watching as her daughter unhooked the fish and set it in the bucket beside her.

"That's a pretty good sized fish," A voice called from behind them and when they turned they came face to face with Troy. He looked tired and overworked, but the gleaming hue of his eyes still shined as bright as ever. "Did you catch that, Beck?"

"Actually," Rebecca smiled. "We both caught it."

"Ah," Troy nodded, eyeing the two of them pointedly. "Did you have to dive it to get it?

You're soaking wet."

"No, it pulled us in. For a fish, it's pretty strong."

"Gotcha," He said, eyeing Gabriella more than Rebecca at this point. "Why don't you go change out of that wet stuff and hang it on the line, while I talk to your partner in crime here. Okay?"

Rebecca sighed dramatically. "That's just cue for, 'Rebecca, leave now so we can have a private conversation.'"

Gabriella laughed. Troy shook his head, though a smile was obviously on his face. "Beck-"

"It's okay Dad, I'm leaving," She held up her hands in defense. To Gabriella, she grinned. "Bye Gabriella. Thanks for today."

Gabriella smiled warmly at the girl. "Anytime, hun."

Rebecca dashed off the dock and up the stairs to the house, her flip flops thwacking against the wooden planks as she ran. Troy waited until he heard the glass door slide shut before turning towards Gabriella. "Well hello there."

"Hi."

"Were you looking for me again? Because you know that I work for a living, and don't sit around all day living in the lap of luxury like some of us do." He asked, daring her to pursue his question.

She scowled. "No, I wasn't, actually. I was looking for Rebecca. I wanted to talk to her, not you, for a change."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'? Is it wrong?" She asked him. "Or are you jealous that I might actually want to talk to someone _other_ than you?"

It was his turn to scowl. "Shut the hell up, Gabriella."

"Ooh, bitter," She commented spitefully. "Can we ever have one nice conversation that doesn't involve us arguing?"

"What'd you tell her, anyway?" Troy ignored her question, wanting to know what Gabriella had informed their daughter of.

"Nothing she shouldn't already know," Gabriella counteracted. "I told her about us. About what really happened, since you didn't tell her anything."

"Why should I?" Troy asked helplessly. "She's too young to know."

"She's eleven!" Gabriella argued. "Girls her age are smarter than you think, Troy. They know a whole lot more than they let on. And she needed to know _everything_ that went on between us."

Troy didn't respond. He glanced at the bucket where Rebecca had tossed the fish and noticed it had stopped flopping. Grasping the handle, he walked up the dock and to the door to the house, needing to start dinner. Gabriella watched him go, wondering why he'd just left her standing there, ending their conversation without so much as a response. She decided to follow him, not to be a pest but just to get their discussion on good terms again. Thankfully, he'd left the screen door open, and she stepped through easily.

"You probably shouldn't leave this open," She suggested helpfully. "You'll let the cold out and the bugs in."

He nodded wordlessly, washing the newly gutted fish in the sink. She sighed.

"Wow, you emptied that thing pretty quickly," Gabriella complimented. "You must've done this a lot."

"Once or twice," Troy said tersely.

"Rebecca's a sweet girl," She said next, and Troy paused slightly, only slightly, before continuing to cut the fish. "She's so outgoing and polite. You raised her well."

"Outgoing and polite?" He smirked. "She must not get that from her mother."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Troy-"

"Yes, she is outgoing and polite. She's also very talented, friendly, and an excellent student. Is that what you wanted to know?" He walked past her through the open doors to the grill, slapping the fish on top. "And for your information, the door was open because I was going right back through it."

"Okay," She sighed, clearly having lost this battle. "I'm just going to go home."

Troy watched her go, and closed his eyes. It shouldn't be like this. Why was everything so freaking hard? Reopening his eyes, and cursing himself for giving up, he closed the grill and hurried back inside, just as Gabriella was at the front door ready to leave. "Wait, Gabriella?"

She turned around. _Do you really have to yell at me some more?_ "What?"

But what he said was nothing like she'd expected.

"Want to stay for dinner?"


	6. Sleeping On The Floor

**My toes are killing me and I'm sore all over. You know what that means!! ... Um, no, you dirty-minded fools, I just back from my summer dance training, of course. I was really bored tonight, so I decided to update this. I'm in the process of writing chapter nine right now, so I'm kind of ahead of myself, hahah. Thank you so much for your reviews and for reading my author's note in the last chapter. I'm glad you did not ask the same questions in your reviews that I would have condoned. :)**

**Oh, and here we go again with the creative chapter titles. I think I love making chapter titles more than I enjoy writing the chapters. :P**

**I own nothing. Thanks for reading and reviewing!!**

* * *

Chapter Six: Sleeping On The Floor

--

"_Oh! Oh! And remember when we went to the movies?"_

"_Yeah! With all the free popcorn!"_

"_And the funny girl at the counter?"_

"_Oh yeah!!"_

_Twelve-year-old Troy Bolton watched in envy as best friend Gabriella Montez spoke and laughed with her new friend, Taylor McKessie. He was extremely jealous, whether he wanted to admit it or not, of this new friend she had and the special bond they had with each other. He felt as if he was losing her, and it was really not a comfortable position to be in. They'd been best friends since birth, as they were only born within three weeks of each other. And now... she was befriending others._

"_Honey, you spend every waking second with Gabriella," Laura had told her son that morning. "I think it's good that she has some new friends. You two need to have _some_ time apart."_

"_I don't want to have time apart," Troy protested, heading off to school. "I want my best friend back."_

_Now, he was watching her and her new friend in their sixth period lunch, completely upset. Chad Danforth, another friend of his approached him with a casual slap to the back. "Hey Troy!"_

"_Hi Chad."_

"_What's up?"_

"_Gabriella."_

"_What about her?"_

"_She's friends with that girl over there."_

"_Taylor?" Chad asked, his voice squeaking as he said her name. "I think I love that girl."_

_Troy looked at him strangely. "You do?"_

"_Uh-huh." He nodded, his smallish afro bouncing. "She's so nice and funny and smart... I wish she would talk to me."_

"_Well she stole my best friend," Troy pouted. "So I'm not happy with her right now."_

"_Taylor! You're so funny!" Gabriella laughed, clutching her sides as she walked past Troy and Chad. "You're my best friend, you know that?"_

_This is when Troy lost it. He left Chad and marched up to where twelve-year-old Gabriella was sitting with her new 'best friend' Taylor. Gabriella looked up at him and smiled and Troy had realized just then how beautiful she was. She was wearing a purple miniskirt, a white top and sandals, and her hair was pulled partly back and straightened. Her mother had just allowed her to wear make-up, but not too much, so a touch of eyeliner and mascara was all she was wearing. _

"_Hi Troy."_

"_Gabriella, I wanna talk to you."_

"_Okay," She turned to Taylor. "Can you give us a second?"_

"_Sure," Taylor agreed, standing and walking away._

_Gabriella smiled again. "What's up?"_

"_Why aren't we best friends anymore?"_

_A look of confusion washed over her delicate features. "What? We are."_

"_You just told Taylor that she was your best friend," Troy said dejectedly. "That means we aren't, right?"_

_Gabriella laughed. "Troy, a person can have more than one best friend!"_

"_They can?"_

"_Of course," She grinned, taking one of his hands in his. A shiver ran up his spine. "You're my best guy friend. I've known you forever and you're so great. But I need some girl friends too. And Taylor's my best girl friend. Okay?"_

"_Yeah," Troy smiled. "Okay."_

"_Good," Gabriella leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna go talk to Taylor now, okay? But we'll talk later, I promise."_

_He nodded numbly as she walked away and Chad took her place. "You guys okay?"_

"_Uh-huh," Troy said. "Chad?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_You're my best friend."_

"_I thought Gabriella was your best friend?"_

"_Chad," Troy grinned knowingly. "A person can have more than one best friend."_

--

The key to winning Troy's heart again was to win Rebecca's.

Gabriella had a shocking realization the morning after her dinner with her former family while she ate a small breakfast in the kitchen of her childhood home. She had been feasting on a piece of French toast and contemplating why Troy had asked her to stay for dinner the night before, when suddenly it become clear that if she grew a steady relationship with Rebecca, she might just get past that cold exterior he let on everyday and fight her way into his heart once more.

And that's all she really wanted.

Selfishly, when Jacob Symonds proposed to her she realized that what she really wanted in life, what was truly missing, was her family. But her family was not in New York. It didn't lie within Jake, her coworkers or her friends Jennifer and Christine. They were all supportive of her time of need when she'd first arrived in the city, and she loved them all, but her _real _family lived only in New Mexico. Those she'd grown up with- Zeke, Sharpay, Chad, Taylor- those she'd lived with- her mother, father, and older sister- and those she'd loved- Troy. They were her true family. And that was what was missing all those years she'd been living away from them.

Of course she never expected them to be warm and welcoming when she arrived home after ten years of no contact, but she was glad they had forgiven her, since she knew she could probably never do the same. Her parents treated her like she never left, her friends acted as if she'd been there for their ups and downs in life, and Troy... well, Troy hadn't exactly come around yet. But as long as Gabriella was living she vowed that one day she and Troy's relationship would be restored. She'd make sure of it.

Gabriella was at the sink washing the dishes when her sister Samantha walked through the front door of their parents' house, leading in her two children and pulling her stretch shirt down over her pregnant belly. "Morning Gabriella."

"Morning Sam," She greeted her sister. "Dave working again?"

"Ugh," Her sister groaned, lifting the younger girl into her arms. "Yes. He's been working so much lately, I feel like we never see him. Danny is being a pest again and Hannah's allergies are so bad right now, she can barely function."

"Aww," Gabriella cooed in sympathy. "And the babies?"

Samantha nearly fainted from the mention of the babies she was carrying. "Gabriella, _never_ have twins. It's twice the work."

"Really?" Gabriella asked skeptically, handing Danny a Freeze-Pop. "I never would have guessed."

"Oh Gabriella, don't give him that. He'll make a mess and he's been so pesky lately he shouldn't be rewarded for it."

"Sam, it's hot. These kids'll overheat if you don't let them cool down." She swiped a lock of dark hair off of Hannah's forehead. "How about you, honey? Do you want a Freeze-Pop too?"

She nodded slowly and Gabriella lifted her effortlessly from her sister's arms. "You shouldn't be carrying them while you're pregnant, either."

Samantha collapsed in a kitchen chair beside her son, who was sloppily enjoying his orange-flavored ice treat. "I know. But who else can carry them? Seeing as Dave's never home."

"Well they are five and three. They can walk on their own."

"I know," She repeated. "But I miss carrying them. I loved that."

"A few more months and you'll have two more to carry, Sam," Gabriella encouraged, placing Hannah back on her mother's lap, now with a cherry-flavored Freeze-Pop.

Samantha nodded and glanced at the other end of the table, where Gabriella had begun to write a letter to her friends in New York. "Hey, what's that? Are you writing a letter?"

"Yeah," Gabriella shrugged, as if it were nothing. "I just don't want my friends to worry that I've fallen off the face of the Earth, or something."

"Well why would they worry? Didn't you tell them you were going home?"

_Um, 'home' wasn't exactly how I put it._ "Uh, not really. That's probably why, you know?"

"Sure."

Gabriella finished off the letter while Samantha watched her every move. Each time Gabriella would glance up and catch her gaze, Samantha would look her pointedly in the eye, not even bothering to look away. Gabriella figured she wanted her to write that she had permanently moved back here and wasn't going back, and in fact, she wanted to say so herself. But... something was holding her back. It was an inanimate strength and she felt bound by invisible forces so as to that she could not write what Samantha expected her to. She finished off the letter, signed her name, and put it into the envelope, sealing it and watching her sister right back.

"So anyway," Samantha changed the subject. "I have a doctor's appointment and I was leaving the kids here for an hour or so with Mom. Where is she?"

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked. "Because Mom isn't here. She left for a haircut about twenty minutes or so."

"Are you kidding me?" Samantha wanted to know. "I'm already late."

"We can stay with Aunt Gabby, Momma." Danny suggested, handing his empty tube to Gabriella, who threw it in the garbage.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Hannah clapped excitedly.

"Sam, are you sure it's her allergies and not just the heat?" Gabriella laughed. "Hannah seems perfectly fine now that she's cooled down."

"Maybe it's the heat, I don't know," She shook her head. "Look, would you mind watching them? I really need someone and I have to go. I'm late. I won't be gone more than an hour at the latest."

"It's okay, Sam. Go. I've got them."

Samantha smiled gratefully and stood to leave, handing off Hannah to Gabriella and kissing both of her children before heading out the door. Gabriella glanced at her un-mailed letter and turned to her niece and nephew.

"Guys? We're taking a little trip to the post office today."

* * *

Gabriella walked down the cobbled road towards the post office, the letter tucked under her arm and each of her hands taken by both Hannah and Daniel. They stepped into the air conditioned office, and Gabriella occupied the children with the free stickers while she talked to the receptionist about mailing terms for the letter, since the town wasn't even registered on the mailing route. Eventually, all things were settled and the letter was mailed, and Gabriella took the children back outside. On her way up the road, she spotted Rebecca walking Mocha on a short leash. Grinning, she greeted her daughter.

"Hi Rebecca."

Rebecca looked up and smiled softly. "Hi. How are you?"

"Good, hun. You?"

"Fine," She took notice of the children by her side and her heart fell. "Who are they?"

"Oh these are my sister's kids, Danny and Hannah. Your... your cousins, technically."

She felt a strange relief in finding out that the children were not her mother's at all, and her face lit up at the mention of cousins. "Dad doesn't have any siblings and he said I didn't have cousins."

Gabriella pursed her lips together. "You do, though. I hate it when he says those things."

Rebecca shrugged half-heartedly. "You and me both."

"Hey, are you okay?" She noticed Rebecca seemed a little under the weather this afternoon.

"Oh... yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She gave Gabriella a weak little smile before Mocha pulled her forward a little. "I gotta get going anyway. The living room needs vacuuming."

"Rebecca, you seem upset. What's wrong?"

Rebecca sighed and turned around. "My friend Lauren is having a sleepover tonight for our Girl Scout troop. And I really want to go."

"Did your father say you couldn't?"

She shook her head. "No. He said I could go. But... he didn't know that it was mother-daughter. And now, there's no way that I can go. All my friends are going, and I'll be the only one not there. But... I can't."

If there was ever a time Gabriella Montez felt extremely guilty, this exact moment topped it by a long shot. Rebecca seemed so distraught that she couldn't attend this slumber party with all of her friends, and it was all because of _her_. If she'd just stayed with Troy none of this would've happened. And how could she make this right? She could always offer to go with her, but there's no way Rebecca would agree to that. Why would she? She had every reason to be angry with her mother for leaving her, and Gabriella did not expect her to comply with her suggestion. But... it was worth a shot.

"Rebecca, I'm really sorry. If it's any consolation, I didn't get to go to the mother-daughter sleepover when I was a Girl Scout either. My mom was away on business."

Okay, that's not exactly what she was going to say.

"Oh..."

"But... I'll go to the slumber party with you if you really want to go." She suggested. "I mean, you don't have to say yes. I know that we're not exactly close acquaintances but-"

However, Rebecca appeared to be thrilled. "Really? You'd go with me?"

"Of course. It's the least I can do."

"Oh my god!" She shrieked, hugging her. "Thank you so much!"

Gabriella was shocked, but hugged back. "Oh, I should be the one thanking you."

"We're going to get to sleep on the floor! I love that!"

Laughing, Gabriella said, "That's the best part of sleepovers."

* * *

"Rebecca!!" An excited eleven-year-old- who Gabriella assumed was Lauren- answered the door. "I'm so glad you could come!"

"Me too," Rebecca grinned. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Anytime!" She ushered the two of them into the house. "So who did you come with?"

"Um..." Rebecca still wasn't accustomed to calling Gabriella her mother, so she wasn't really sure what to say.

But Gabriella filled in for her. "I'm her friend Gabriella. Nice to meet you. Lauren, right?"

"Yup. Thanks for bringing her. I'm glad she's here!"

"I can tell."

Even though Rebecca knew she would feel weird calling Gabriella her mother, she felt guilty that Gabriella had stepped in and called herself a friend. She really _really_ wanted a mother- probably more than anyone ever wanted anything before. And as the night progressed, as she watched Gabriella interact with the other moms and play games with her and her friends, she knew that Gabriella had the all of the qualities it took to be a mother. Her leaving or not, she cared about her and it showed. Who else would come to a sleepover with twelve pre-teen girls and their mothers? Rebecca grinned happily as Lauren came skipping up to her.

"Your friend is so cool!" She squealed. "Look! She French-braided my hair!"

"She's not my friend."

"Really?"

"Actually," And it felt good to admit. "She's my mother."

Later that night, as their sleeping bags were rolled out along the soft carpet of the living room, Rebecca leaned towards Gabriella and whispered, "Thanks for sleeping on the floor with me tonight... Mom."

Gabriella could've cried.


	7. The Things He'll Never Say

**HEY! Okay you guys are so soooo great to me. First, you actually take time to read my author's note (love you for that and thanks for not skipping it) and then you bring me from 116 reviews to 140. I love you ALL. Especially those of you who've been reading and reviewing since the first chapter. My dedicated readers, you are what keeps me going and thank you for the compliments and support. This chapter is dedicated to you guys!! **

**I own nothing. Enjoy!**

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Chapter Seven: The Things He'll Never Say

--

"_Can you believe we're going to high school?" Fourteen-year-old Gabriella asked her best friend, turning her head to look him in the eye._

_He grinned right back at her. "No. It's crazy."_

_Gabriella smoothed out her sundress, caring not to get any grass stains while she was lying there, staring at the midsummer night sky. "This is beautiful."_

"_It is," Troy agreed. "You know, I think high school is gonna be great."_

"_I hope so," Gabriella sighed. "I've seen movies and read books and stuff, but do you think that's what it's really like?"_

"_I don't know," Troy answered truthfully. "But it could be. You never know."_

"_You know what else I can't believe?" She asked softly._

"_What?"_

"_That... I'm fourteen-going-on-fifteen and I still haven't had my first kiss," She admitted openly. "Sharpay had her first kiss when she was ten."_

"_Well Sharpay's kind of a slut."_

"_Troy!" Gabriella shrieked. "That was so mean."_

"_Well she is!"_

"_Troy!"_

"_Okay, okay!" He laughed. "But I don't really think you have to worry about your first kiss. It'll happen."_

"_I feel like it won't, though," She sighed. "I mean... wouldn't it have happened by now? Shouldn't I have met someone by now?"_

_Troy gulped and sat up. "Um... it takes longer for some girls. Maybe you're one of them."_

"_I don't want to be one of them," She sat up too, mirroring his actions. "I want to be kissed."_

_Troy turned his head to look at his best friend. There she was, in all her beauty, sitting beside him and waiting for her first kiss to come. What if he was her first kiss? Would that break all of the rules of friendship? Well, no doubt it would. But still, as he looked at her now, in the starry humid night, he really wanted to kiss her. She was just so simply attractive; her long brown curls tumbling over the yellow spaghetti-strap sundress, his coat draped over her shoulders, the sparkle of lip gloss on her lips, the reflection of the moon in her eyes. She was so beautiful..._

_He inched closer. "What if you didn't have to wait any longer?"_

_She glanced at him. "What are you saying?"_

_Troy leaned in and pressed his lips to hers softly, a perfect first kiss that every girl only dreamed of. He was expecting her to pull away at any moment and shout, 'What are you doing? We're just friends!' If and when she did so, it would crush him, but he'd play like it was alright. That this was what was right. But... she didn't pull away. In fact, she pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and hoping he wouldn't ever let go. And honestly, he didn't have any intention to._

"_Was that... okay?" Troy asked cautiously when they finally pulled away, afraid of her answer._

_She shook her head. "No, that wasn't okay. It was perfect."_

--

"Happy fourth of July, dear!" Maria Montez greeted her daughter as she descended the stairs. "I've got the air just starting now. It's a scorcher out there."

Gabriella grinned happily at her mother before taking her usual place at the breakfast table. "It's always hot down here, Mom. Especially now, in the heart of summer."

"Now what would you like for breakfast? I've picked some fresh strawberries from the patch out back. I could cut some up in Cheerios if that's what you'd like."

"Mom," Gabriella laughed. "I can make my own breakfast. You don't have to do it for me."

"Oh, I know that," Maria waved it off, getting out a bowl and milk and Cheerios anyway. "But I'm your mother and I love spoiling you."

"Well thank you. I really apprec-"

"_You sick bastard!!_"

Both Gabriella and Maria looked up, startled. They hadn't even known anyone was around. But glancing outside, they saw a very enraged Samantha arguing with her husband on the street in front of their house. Now Samantha lived across the street from her parents' house, so technically she was in front of _her_ house as well. The front door of their house was wide open, and Danny and Hannah stood there in their pajamas, watching their mother feud with their father, their faces solemn. But something looked completely off about the situation and even though it was eavesdropping, Maria and Gabriella went to the window to get a closer look.

"You lying _bastard_!" The letter opener she'd been holding, so innocent beforehand, had become a weapon, and she held it out at him.

"Whoa, easy there Sam," Dave spoke calmly, his hands up in defense.

"Oh you want me to go easy on you, do you?" She asked menacingly. Throwing the letter opener at him, which hit him square on the forehead, she shouted, "How's _that_ for easy?"

"Ow! Damn it, would you please just let me explain?"

Samantha then threw a package at him, enjoying how it bounced off of his shoulder. "Explain what? How you've been screwing some whore behind my back? I think that's pretty clear for me to understand!"

"No!" He sighed, frustrated. "Would you stop throwing things at me?"

"Hell no! I'm just getting started!"

"Sam, I'm sorry-"

"You're not sorry!" She screamed, almost laughing as if it were a joke. "You wouldn't have done it if you were sorry! You're only sorry you got caught!"

He stared at her for a long time before uttering, "I love you."

"No you don't!" Samantha yelled. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have had to have sleazy sex with some coke-whore on the side! We have two beautiful children and two more on the way, and _this_ is how you're preparing?"

Dave said nothing and Samantha's face fell. Her voice grew dangerously low and she asked, "How long?"

He glanced up at her. "What?"

"How long? How long have you two been doing this?"

"Four months."

"Four months?" She asked incredulously. "Four months and I didn't know..."

"I was going to tell you, Sam. I wanted to tell you so it didn't hurt-"

"What? You think by you telling me you've been cheating it would be better?" She cried. "You're an asshole, Dave. Get the hell out of my sight."

"Babe, I-"

"Don't, just..." Her strong fierceness was deteriorating. She walked back to the front door and ushered the kids inside. "Just don't."

Gabriella and Maria retracted slowly from the window. "Wow."

"I always thought there was something funny about him," Maria shook his head. "He never seemed like a nice guy to me."

The rest of the morning was spent in silence. Maria washed the dishes while Gabriella helped clean the other rooms of the house and got dressed and ready for the day. Cold Water Lake held an annual Independence Day parade and town fair. She remembered as kids she and Troy used to have a blast at the different booths and watching the floats and fireworks. Assuming it hadn't changed a bit, Gabriella knew it was going to be a good night. But when the doorbell rang, she was pulled back into reality as she opened it to reveal her pregnant sister and her niece and nephew.

"Hi honey," Maria sympathized, pulling an emotional Samantha into a warm embrace.

"Oh Mom..." She trailed off, beginning to cry.

Gabriella took Danny and Hannah by the hand into the living room and got them settled with a movie on the couch. She then sat in the kitchen with her mother and sister and listened to how she would settle this situation.

"... and I've only got two more months before the twins come and now I have to get a divorce in the middle of this stress!" Samantha sobbed, lying her head on the kitchen table. "Oh god, I heard they're such a pain in the ass."

"They are," Gabriella offered guiltily. "I wish I never had to go through that."

"But you actually could've made things right with Troy," Samantha pointed out. "He wasn't cheating on you, he wasn't abusing you... he loved you."

"Sam... it wasn't-" Gabriella started, but was cut off.

"No. I don't know what you were going to say but I'm going to finish that sentence. It wasn't _justified_. You filed for irreconcilable differences? But... you could've fixed everything that happened."

"Okay Samantha, calm down," Maria scolded slightly, though Gabriella could tell that her eyes showed she completely agreed with her older daughter.

"Why did you leave anyway?" Samantha questioned.

Gabriella sighed. "You know what happened between us, Sam."

"No, Gabriella. The _real_ reason. You clearly didn't just up and leave because Troy told you to. You're too stubborn for that."

Pointedly ignoring the question, Gabriella said, "Do you want to bring the kids to the fair? It'll get your mind off of Dave and the kids can play and have fun."

Samantha, noting that Gabriella must still be sore from the incident, decided to leave it at that for now. "Okay."

* * *

Samantha, her children, and Gabriella headed down to the town square after the Independence Day parade. A few game booths were set up sporadically throughout the park area, and they watched complacently as kids competed against each other for the best prizes. The air was filled with the smell of popcorn and sausage heroes and little kids littered the park. Mothers and fathers frantically ran about to find the children who were running amok, but were not prevailing. Samantha made a mental note not to let her children stray too far away.

A few feet away, Gabriella spotted Zeke and Sharpay at a picnic table near the water gun game. Sharpay was nursing the youngest child while rocking the double stroller beside her, trying to comfort two of her other children- one whining, the other wailing. Zeke was attempting to get the other three to eat something for dinner, but they were too busy screeching and squealing with excitement over all the evening's activities. Gabriella noticed their stressed anxious expressions and handed Hannah to her sister.

"Sam, I'll be right back. I have to say hello to a friend."

Samantha was being pulled by her son to the lucky ducks game, so she didn't really mind. "Okay. We'll be over here."

Gabriella nodded and headed over to the table, biting her lip as she watched the commotion. Sharpay was barking orders and Zeke was struggling to accomplish them as none of the children were listening.

"Zeke! The kids need to eat before they can play or do anything. Oh, Tara's shoe came untied. Can you get that for her?" Turning back to the stroller, she sighed. "Connor and Katie knock it off. If you want to play games later, you can't act like this."

"Shar, what am I getting them to eat?" Zeke shouted over the fuss his kids were making. "Jack and Meghan stop it right now. Leave your sister alone and don't annoy her."

"Hot dog and French fries for the older three, pizza for the younger two and I've got Jason covered," Sharpay informed.

"I don't want a hot dog, Mommy!!" Meghan whined. "I want chicken fingers!"

At this point, Sharpay looked near tears and Zeke was groaning in frustration. Gabriella approached the group and greeted them cheerfully, trying to bring a little happiness to the group. "Hey Baylor clan! Need some help over here?"

Now Sharpay was relieved. "Oh my god, if you could, that would be great. Thank you so much."

"No problem," Gabriella waved it off. "I'm sure it's difficult with this many kids. What can I do?"

"I'm going to go order the food, but I need the kids to get off of my back. Can you occupy them, or something?" Zeke asked, not even waiting for an answer before backing off towards the food stand.

"Of course," She agreed, sitting down besides Jack. "Hi guys. My name's Gabriella. I'm your Mommy and Daddy's friend. Are you excited for tonight?"

The kids were instantly quiet and stared at her wide-eyed. They'd never seen her before so she was all new to them. One of the older girls, Tara, Gabriella remembered, spoke up. "Is Daddy getting food? I want my hot dog."

"Me too," Jack replied, getting over his shellshock. _He's the oldest, _Gabriella remembered being told.

"I'm sure you're hungry," She nodded. "What are you guys going to do after you eat?"

"I wanna win a prize!" Meghan squealed. "I'm gonna play a lot of games."

"Ooh, prizes are cool," Gabriella said. "I love the games here. What's your favorite?"

"My favorite is the dart game with the balloons filled with paint!" Jack told her excitedly.

"I like that one too," She laughed. "What about your favorite, girls?"

Tara shrugged and Meghan added, "I don't know. I like them all."

"Okay, here we are," Zeke returned with a tray full of food. The hungry kids devoured their dinners happily while Zeke took three-year-old Connor on his lap to feed him as well.

"You were awesome," Sharpay marveled. "You are so good with kids."

Gabriella laughed. "Thanks. Do you want me to feed her? Katie, is it?"

Sharpay sighed in relief. "It would be such a big help."

Gabriella took a seat beside Sharpay and smiled at the little girl in the stroller. "Hi honey. Are you hungry?"

The two-year-old nodded and reached towards her mother. Gabriella wondered if she would allow her to feed her. "Well your mommy is feeding your brother right now. Can I feed you?"

Katie looked at her for a moment or two as if contemplating her question. She then reached her arms out towards Gabriella and she lifted her effortlessly onto her lap. "Ah, there we go."

A few minutes later, as Gabriella fed tiny bits of pizza to Katie and Sharpay finished nursing Jason, Zeke was off with the other four towards the games. Soon after, as it was getting dark, both Katie and Jason were sound asleep in the stroller and Gabriella and Sharpay were left to chat alone. The air was not as humid and hot as before, but was cooling down slowly as day faded into night. The sky was getting darker and darker by the second, but the party seemed to still be in full effect. Sharpay let out a deep sigh.

"Thanks for helping us tonight. It can get really crazy when the kids are all together and hyped up like this."

"Oh it wasn't a problem. Your kids are great, Shar." Gabriella said. "Plus, I still feel really guilty about missing out on Rebecca's entire life as a child so... I guess spending the time with your children helped me come to terms with that... in a way."

"Oh Gabriella," Sharpay started sympathetically. "We all know- hell, even Rebecca knows- that you didn't want this. I mean, no one knows the real reason, I guess, but-"

"The real reason?" Gabriella stopped her. "What do you mean?"

"Well you couldn't have just left because of Troy. I'm sure there must have been another reason."

"That's what Sam said..." She muttered quietly.

"And okay look," Sharpay leaned in even closer to Gabriella. "I'm not supposed to know this, but you know me, I'm still the gossip queen I was back in high school. You think that he didn't follow you when you left, don't you?"

Gabriella nodded. "He didn't. He never came after me."

She shook her head. "Wrong. It took him two weeks after the fact to realize he couldn't live without you. So he packed up Rebecca and fled to the city too, so he could get you back before having to sign the divorce papers. But once he got there... he saw how beautiful and rich the New York City was and knew that it was always what you wanted. He knew it would take a lot more than a little apology to get you to come home with him."

Gabriella was so shocked she couldn't speak. Sharpay continued. "And I'm not really supposed to know this either, but... he still loves you, Gabriella. He never actually stopped."

"A-are you... serious?" The brunette finally managed to say. "Is this all true?"

"Definitely."

"Where'd you hear this? The love part, I mean."

Sharpay smiled softly. "Rebecca."


	8. Fish Out of Water

**Oh boy you guys. You'll hate me forever after reading this one... ;)  
**

**Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. I still do not own anything, though. Enjoy!!**

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Chapter Eight: Fish Out of Water

--

_15-year-old Troy Bolton was pacing around his bedroom, waiting for his best friend Gabriella Montez to come over so he could finally ask her what he'd wanted to for so long. He realized only a few days earlier that he'd fallen in love with her, tracing it all the way back to when they were eleven. He wanted to ask her out, he wanted them to be closer, but every time he tried, nerves would overcome him and he'd cower back, leaving his feelings to himself. He wondered if she'd noticed how nervous he'd become lately around her, and prayed that she was overlooking it. He turned around to face her when he heard the bedroom door open and grinned upon her arrival._

"_Hey Troy. Your message sounded urgent. You okay?"_

"_Yeah, fine. Gabriella?"_

"_What?"_

"_Remember that night last summer when... we kissed?" He asked tentatively._

_She smiled softly. "Of course I do. How could I forget it?"_

"_Well... I didn't kiss you just because you wanted a first kiss," Troy explained, sitting on his bed. She followed and sat beside him. _

"_I never really thought you did," Gabriella responded truthfully._

"_I kissed you because..." Troy drew in a deep breath. "'Cause I love you."_

_Her eyes widened. "You love me?"_

"_I do. Ever since we were in sixth grade, I think," Her reaction was surprised and he was afraid to know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "My mom always used to tease me about how you and I would make a great couple someday, but I never expected to really fall for you."_

_Gabriella was still silent, processing this information as she stared blankly at her hands in her lap. Finally, her brown eyes rose to meet his blue ones and she grinned. "This is a pleasant surprise."_

"_Are you sure? Because we're best friends... I'm not sure if we can be a couple-"_

_She pressed her lips against his, silencing him and confirming his hopes. "We'll always be best friends, Troy. And as for couple? We certainly can be both."_

_Troy grinned, kissing her again. "In that case, will you be my girlfriend?"_

"_I most definitely will."_

--

Troy loved her.

No freaking way.

If he really did love her like Sharpay said he did, then he sure had a funny way of showing it. They were just beginning to get on good terms with each other, meaning they acted civil when coming in contact, but every time before that they argued and yelled at each other nonstop. How could that possibly mean he loved her? This wasn't grade school anymore, where a boy teasing you and constantly picking fights with you meant he liked you. This was real life. So how could he actually like her, let alone love her?

In a way, Gabriella felt that she and Troy should repair their relationship for Rebecca at the most. She needed parents who were able to behave when together, not be constantly at each other's throats. They had never fought as children nor as a couple, at least nothing too serious, so why the change now? Honestly, Gabriella believed that she was the one who was trying harder to restore their old relationship while Troy was trying harder to destroy the progress they'd made and keep it from getting any further.

Just then, as Gabriella was about to tell Sharpay that she was crazy- no matter what Rebecca said- Kelsi Nielson, the only friend of hers from high school she still hadn't seen, appeared at the opening of the park. She looked fragile and shaken, and had a little boy on her hip and another by the hand. Something about her just didn't seem right, and Gabriella wondered if there was something seriously wrong with her. Kelsi appeared to be about twenty pounds lighter, her hair straggly, and her face pale, but she attempted to feign happiness for her sons.

"Sharpay, what's wrong with Kelsi?"

Sharpay glanced over to where Kelsi and her sons were standing and frowned. "Poor thing. I can't even believe she made it today."

"What do you mean? Why won't anyone tell me what happened to her?" Gabriella questioned in frustration.

Watching her a little bit longer, Sharpay said sadly, "Aw and the Fourth of July was Jason's favorite holiday too. This must be so hard for her."

"Jason?" Gabriella's eyes widened. "Something happened to Jason?"

The blonde's visage turned to sadness. "Last year, there was this horrible thunderstorm. It was like a mix between a hurricane and an earthquake, that's how strong it was. The rain was pouring so hard and there was so much wind and the thunder shook the earth like a globe. It was a terrible storm and... it killed him."

"How?"

"He was out late working on a dock across the lake. When he finally finished, he jumped in the car to drive home and wait out the storm with Kelsi and the boys. She told him to be careful and that she loved him, and he told her that he loved her too, but she needn't worry because he'd be okay. But... you know how big this lake is. And a mile into the drive his car broke down. The roads were pretty much flooding at this point, so he knew walking was out of the question. He was calling for help- that much we know because they found a cell phone in his hand. A bolt of lightning struck a telephone pole and... it fell, completely crushing his car and killing him instantly."

"Oh my god," Gabriella had tears rolling down her cheeks. "That's so horrible! Oh poor Kelsi."

"And the boys are only four and two. The younger one won't even remember him," Sharpay sighed. "At least Andrew's got a hope of recalling something."

"God, I feel terrible." The brunette wiped at her tears. "I wish I could've been here. For the service, I mean. I loved Jason. I knew him since kindergarten. He was such a great guy."

"Zeke and I named our youngest Jason, in memory, since he was born a few weeks after Jason died."

"That's sweet."

"And Kelsi's not dealing with it very well. She cries every single day, at least twice, at the things that remind her of him. Taylor's been counseling her and trying to get her to socialize again, but she hasn't been making much progress. I'm surprised she's even here tonight."

Kelsi looked around fearfully before heading towards them and Sharpay and Gabriella tried to look as pleasant as possible and not as if they were just speaking about her. "Hi Kelsi. How are you tonight?"

"I've been better," She uttered quietly, setting the younger child down. "Matthew, do you want to go play some games with your brother?"

He nodded, his eyes joyful. Andrew took his brother's hand and the two bound off together as Kelsi sat beside Gabriella. "Who's your friend, Sharpay?"

Sharpay laughed. "It's Gabriella Montez!"

Kelsi glanced at Gabriella, who smiled, before her face lit up slightly. "Oh god, hi. I didn't even recognize you."

"Hi Kelsi, how are you? I heard about Jason and I'm so sorry I couldn't have been here for you." Gabriella hugged her friend.

Kelsi hugged right back, seemingly needing it. "Thanks hun, it's okay. The boys and I are struggling to come to terms, but we're better then before. Each day it gets a little easier, though it never stops hurting."

"I'm sure it doesn't."

"I didn't expect to see you here tonight," Sharpay commented, reaching over to rock the stroller when Jason stirred.

"Oh I know, but I figured we needed to get out of the house," Kelsi explained. "The boys needed to have a little fun. And this is Jason's favorite holiday, after all."

"It is."

"Would you two excuse me for a minute?" Gabriella said suddenly, standing and walking towards the secluded gated portion of the park. "I have something I need to do."

* * *

"Man," Zeke panted, trudging over to a bench the other three guys were sitting on. "Chasing around four kids is hard work."

"Wait until the other two start running around," Ryan warned. "Then you'll be chasing six."

He groaned and Chad laughed. "That's why I'm so glad my kids are older now. Ky can take care of herself as long as she's with Beck, and Nate is just learning the whole 'responsibility' concept. He thinks it's cool that he can be out with his friends, but he doesn't know that I'm still watching him like a hawk."

"Hey, are you and Taylor gonna have anymore kids?" Ryan asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Nah. We've got our perfect two. That's all we need."

"What about you, Troy? What's Becca like?"

"Becca's a good girl. She can take care of herself too." Troy found himself smiling at the mention of his daughter. "I raised her with good morals."

"Would you ever want any more kids?"

He had to think about this one. "Yeah, why not? She's always wanted a sibling. And as long as they're as good as she is, more kids wouldn't be a problem."

"Would you want them to be half-Gabriella again?" Zeke asked.

Troy almost choked on the beer he was drinking. "Um... yeah, I guess. That's where Becca gets most of her good traits anyway."

"What's going on with you two lately?" Chad questioned interested. "I mean, why'd she _really_ come back?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing's going on though. I can't get involved in _that_ nightmare again."

"Hey speaking of the devil," Ryan nodded towards the entrance to the cemetery where Gabriella was slowly letting herself into. "You think someone told her about Jason?"

"Probably your sister," Troy suggested. "She still has the biggest mouth in Cold Water Lake."

"A trait she may never grow out of," Zeke laughed. "She is a gossip queen."

"I'm gonna head out then, guys," Troy told the group. "Becca's staying at your place tonight, right Chad?"

"Yup."

"Alright, see ya later then."

But Troy didn't go home. Instead, he followed a certain brunette into the cemetery.

* * *

Gabriella wandered amongst the headstones in search of the correct one. It was completely pitch black now, and seeing was a complete predicament. She could still make out some of the carvings faintly, and there was still a glow from across the way at the fair. Finally, she came across the one she was looking for. _Jason Michael Cross. _Silently, she sat down in front of it, tracing the carvings in the stone slowly and feeling the cool rock beneath her fingers. _June 20, 1990- September 4, 2019. Loving husband, father, and friend. You will never be forgotten._

"Oh Jason, I'm so sorry." Gabriella sobbed. "If I only knew... If only someone told me. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there at the funeral. We were like best friends and I let you down. So much for not being forgotten. I didn't come back for you, and you left thinking I didn't care. Without so much as a goodbye..."

"He always asked about you, you know," A soft voice from behind her said. "He loved talking about you."

"Great Troy, way to make me feel even worse," She wiped helplessly at her tears.

Troy came over and held out a hand to her. "Hey, I'm sure he knew how much you cared about him, Gabriella. Everyone always knows how much you care."

She took his hand and he pulled her into a standing position. She sighed. "But not you, right? Or else we wouldn't have to work so hard at this relationship."

"Every relationship takes time and effort. You know that."

"Yeah, but not _ours_, Troy. Ours is the one relationship that never needed any work. Why did that change? What happened to us?"

He stared at her. "You're seriously asking that question?"

She crossed her arms. "Yes. We have to talk about this sooner or later."

"You got pregnant, Gabriella. We were young and married and... things just got out of control."

"I know. But do you know what my sister told me this morning? She said we filed for divorce under 'irreconcilable differences' when we always could've worked everything out."

Troy nodded. "Of course we could have."

Gabriella looked startled. "What?"

"Of course we could've worked things out! We always worked things out! Nobody actually knows the real reason why you moved to New York. Yes, they know that I told you to leave, but that's not it. That isn't the whole story." His voice grew lower. "I don't even know the whole story."

She looked away. "There is no real reason."

He looked fed up at this point. "Jesus, Gabriella! Why are you so afraid of the truth?"

When she didn't respond, he stepped closer to her, gripping her hands in his and causing her to look him straight in the eye. His voice sounded pleading and desperate as he asked her, "Why did you leave me?"

If Gabriella hadn't believed Sharpay when she told her he was in love with her, she definitely did now. It seemed now that the barrier Troy had put up when he was around her had coming crashing down. His vulnerability was frightening, and Gabriella saw just how much she'd hurt him by leaving all those years ago. He'd never actually fallen before but she saw him collapsing at any given moment, and she didn't really want to see that from him. Sighing, she decided to tell him why she _really_ left, not caring what he actually thought after the fact.

"Troy..." She began, taking a deep breath. "You're going to think I'm such a bad person."

He shook his head. "No. Just tell me."

"My mom thought it was post-natal depression, but it was really just me not being able to come to terms with what happened. I couldn't function in everyday life without thinking about how much I wish things hadn't turned out the way they did. It's not that I didn't love you or Rebecca, because believe me, I did, but it's just... I didn't want to pay the consequences for my actions and I didn't want to face the fact that I was only nineteen and already married with a baby."

Troy stayed silent and listened intently as Gabriella took a deep breath and continued. "So... I got the job at the restaurant, remember? And I took on as many hours as I could. Whenever the boss asked me if I could work extra hours, I told him it was not a problem and I'd do as many hours as he needed me to- no matter what. And I loved it. At work, I could pretend that I was still a college student and that was my part-time job. I knew that I was almost near neglecting the both of you but... I couldn't help it. By the time it started, it wouldn't end."

"When we had that argument, I knew that it was all my fault. I knew it. You telling me to go was like an excuse I used to leave. I didn't feel guilty at first, because I was telling myself that leaving was okay. That you told me to go, so it was actually better that I left than if I stayed. But as soon as I got to New York, that's when I started feeling guilty. That's when I realized this was the biggest mistake of my life. I called my mother immediately and she told me to take a small vacation and then come back and patch things up with you and take my life back. So... I agreed."

"What kind of crazy-ass vacations do you go on, Montez?" Troy teased. "You were gone for ten years."

She laughed slightly. "I know. I told myself that I was going to come back after a week. But during that first week that I was there, I found this article about New York University- NYU- online. I wanted it so badly. _So badly_, Troy. I just wanted to finish college. So I rented a loft apartment and promised myself that I'd finish college and then go home. But then... I got this great job offer and... I never actually made it back."

"Until now."

She nodded. "Until now. I left because I was scared, Troy. And it's not like 'cold feet' you get before a wedding. It wasn't the 'holy shit, I just had a baby and this tiny little squirming thing is mine' feeling you get when you hold your child for the first time. It was the most horrible feeling I've ever had in my life. I wasn't even scared, I was downright _terrified_. I knew I wouldn't have made a good mother in that state nor a good wife. Nothing was working out and I felt like I needed to settle my demons. Most people would probably think, 'Whatever, Gabriella, get over it' but... it's not like that, Troy. It's so much more severe then just being 'a little afraid.'"

"Oh," He replied after she had finished. "Wow."

"You probably think I'm the worst person in the world right now for being so selfish, but-"

And then Gabriella was in his arms and Troy was kissing her. It was a warm and passionate kiss that neither of them had shared in such a long time. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her pressed to him fervently as she held on right back. Gabriella didn't understand why he had suddenly chose to kiss her in such a way like that, but truth be told, she wasn't complaining. After all these years, no kiss felt better than the one shared tonight. And Gabriella realized that she never actually fell out of love with him either.

But then, just as quick as it had started, it ended and Troy tore away from her, stepping back and looking at the ground. "I don't... I don't want to start anything. That didn't mean anything."

Gabriella was the one frustrated this time. "Troy! Why are _you_ so afraid of the truth?"

He stopped in his tracks and the traced back to her, and Gabriella's heart skipped a beat when she realized he was going to tell her he loved her. She wasn't sure she was prepared, but she best readied herself as well as she could. _Sharpay was right! Sharpay was so right!_ She felt like singing. This was her motive when she'd first gotten here anyway. She wanted to work things over with Rebecca and then patch things up with Troy. And now, here she was accomplishing both. When he'd reached her again, his stormy blue eyes bore into her warm brown ones, and he spoke only three words.

But they were not the three words she wanted to hear.

"Go home, Gabriella."


	9. Shattering the Glass

**Why hello! How are you all on this fine and fabulous evening? If you live in upstate New York like myself, it's a warm breezy summer night, the sky is a fading color of blue, and the sun has disappeared to reveal our beautiful moon. If you don't... well then... I don't know what your weather's like. Okay! So, that was just a little buffer, because I know you all want to chop my head off because the ending to the previous chapter. But since this is a Troyella, they will patch things up eventually. It's just taking longer than a normal story. :)**

**Alrighty, so Monday July 14th is my birthday (yay, sweet 16!!). The day before, Sunday the 13th, my family and I are going to NYC to see 'Legally Blonde: The Musical' on Broadway. I'm SO FREAKING EXCITED!! YAY! So I just wanted to tell you that because I won't be updating until after my birthday madness is over (except 'Un Año' because I think that deserves my attention right now, lol). Okay? Okay. Just so you all know. Hopefully you read this...**

**So I'm dedicating this chapter to myself and friends that have the same birthday as me. This chapter is for myself, Britni, Hannah, Kylie, and Aiden. And none of them have accounts on here, so if you have any of those above names... yeah sorry. It's not you.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Shattering the Glass

--

"_You know, I really don't see why we're doing this a month before graduation," Seventeen-year-old Gabriella mentioned to her boyfriend as she sat upon his desk and watched as he opened up a can of paint._

"_Good point," Troy sighed, tossing the lid aside. "I guess I just want to have a cool room to come back to when I come home."_

_She hopped off the desk and picked up a paintbrush. Troy had decided that as his end-of-the-year project, he and his girlfriend would repaint his bedroom. Everything had been cleared out and the carpet was covered with a drop cloth and newspapers. The white border would remain, because his mother forbade him to paint all of her hard work, but the baby blue had to go. He had three different colors to choose from; a jade green, a navy blue, and a dark brown. Already he knew he wanted the green room with blue circles he'd create with the paint stencils Gabriella brought, and brown stripes. Kind of obnoxious, but that was his taste._

"_I've never actually painted before," She admitted. "Well, except in art class. But... you know what I mean."_

"_Yeah, me either. But... we'll figure it out," Troy assured. "How hard could it be?"_

"_Hopefully not too hard," Gabriella started, dipping the brush in the jade green liquid. "Okay. Here goes nothing."_

_She made a line down the blue wall with her brush and grinned triumphantly. "This isn't so hard."_

"_Lemme try," Troy grabbed a brush and swiped it across the wall. "Hey, you're right! This is kind of fun."_

"_Yeah!"_

_After three hours, two of his four walls were fully coated with the green paint. They had just begun the third wall when Gabriella lifted her brush and unintentionally flung paint into Troy's hair. "Oh god!"_

_Only, Troy hadn't noticed. He turned around. "What?"_

_She tried to suppress her fit of giggles. "Um... n-nothing!"_

_He eyed her strangely. "What? What'd you do?"_

"_I... I," It was hard for her to speak between the laughing. "Don't be mad, okay? I got paint... in your hair!"_

_Troy ran a hand through his hair and sure enough when he took his hand away, slimy green paint showed on his fingers. "Awesome."_

"_Sorry!"_

"_Oh, no problem..." A few seconds later, a cool splash of paint landed on her face._

"_Hey!" Gabriella waved her brush at him again, a long splatter of paint flying down his body. "Take that!"_

_They fought with their paint and paintbrushes for a half hour, laughing and teasing the whole way. But after hearing all the commotion upstairs, Jack Bolton poked his head in the door and his eyes widened. The walls and ceiling were splattered with green, blue, and brown paint, big globs falling to the floor and others leaving run marks down the wall. He had to laugh slightly as he watched his son and girlfriend, who were now on the floor, Troy on top of Gabriella as he tried to wrestle her paintbrush from her grasp with her giggling and trying to keep him away. When she finally wriggled free, she stood and flung the paintbrush at him... but missed, and landed a big glop of paint right between Jack Bolton's eyes._

"_Um... I just wanted to know what all the noise and commotion was about," Jack commented, wiping the paint from his forehead as Troy laughed and a slightly horrified Gabriella had to keep from snickering. "But uh... I guess I know now."_

"_I'm so sorry Mr. Bolton!" Gabriella apologized profusely. He just laughed._

"_If it was anyone but you, Gabriella, I wouldn't be too happy right now," Jack said, retracting from the room slightly. "But because it's you, and I've known you since you were in diapers, we'll let it slide."_

"_Thanks."_

"_And Troy?"_

"_Yeah Dad?"_

"_Don't let your mother find out."_

--

"And what does that mean, anyway?" Gabriella cried. "I am home!"

Samantha patted her sister's back comfortingly as she sobbed at the breakfast table early the next morning. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, as she'd been completely distraught over the situation. How could he have fooled her like that? Troy had been so vulnerable- she knew for a fact that it wasn't an act- and she believed that she was truly getting through to him after all this time. But he was just leading her on and then watching her fall like he knew she would. How could he have done that? Payback was so elementary school.

"He meant New York, sweetie," Samantha offered in response to Gabriella's previous question. "You've been there for ten years; I guess he thinks that's your home."

"This time I'm not leaving because he told me to," Gabriella sputtered, wiping her eyes. "This is ridiculous; we've known each other for too long to be playing this game like we're twelve again."

"Good for you, honey." Maria commented from the sink.

"It's just... why is he still so mad at me?" She questioned, though it went unanswered. "Troy Bolton was never one to hold a grudge. He always forgave people and never really cared about the consequences of things. So why is he still doing this to me? Why am I an exception? Shouldn't he have gotten over it by now? Why is he still acting like this?"

"Damn it, Gabriella! You seriously don't see it?" Samantha shot back. Gabriella looked startled at the sudden outburst.

"Sam..." Maria warned, but Samantha waved her off.

"No Mom, I'm tired of this innocent 'I never do anything wrong because I'm a sweetheart' Gabriella attitude." She seethed. "I'm sick and tired of you complaining about Troy not wanting you anymore and how you can't see how you did anything wrong. Gabriella, for God's sake, I _can't stand_ how you think your leaving is not your fault because Troy told you to and because you were 'scared.' God, everyone is scared!! If they aren't, they aren't human!"

Gabriella shrunk back a little as she listened to her older sister reprimand her. "Sam, calm-"

"Gabriella, I'm not going to calm down. You honestly don't see why Troy doesn't want to talk to you? Or why he kissed you last night, but can't go any further with you? Why he simply doesn't want to? You don't see it?"

She was almost afraid to say no, but did, and Samantha groaned. "Jesus, he loves you!! He's loved you since kindergarten, or some ridiculously early time. I always knew the two of you would end up getting together because he's just always wanted it. You two have had such a long and meaningful past, and he loved and _trusted_ you. He wanted to spend his whole life with you. And you may have felt like you two got married because of Rebecca, but he certainly didn't see it that way."

Her younger sister was silent. Samantha continued. "By leaving, you violated his trust, Gabriella. Troy loved you because you were daring and confident and beautiful. But he trusted you because you were always there for him, through the good times and the bad, no matter what was going on. You left when things got too rough, and Troy got himself to thinking, 'Damn, maybe she wasn't who I thought she was. Maybe she didn't want this as much as I did.' You broke his heart, Gabriella."

Gabriella was sobbing.

"When you came back, he was afraid that you were just back to slap him around again. But when you made an effort to form the family, he pushed you away. And you're telling me you don't know why? You want now what he wanted years ago. And now he's telling you it's too damn late."

"How..." Gabriella was trying to form a sentence through her tears that were cascading down her face. "How do you know all this?"

"You weren't the only one who had a good relationship with Troy," Samantha stated matter-of-factly. "Who do you think talked to him _everyday_ after you left? It saved him from therapy, that's for sure."

"He confided in you?" She asked softly.

Samantha nodded. "Yes. After I swore to secrecy I'd never tell you."

"But you did."

She smiled. "Because I'm a good sister like that."

* * *

"... I'm serious, Kylie, I don't see anything."

Rebecca balanced the phone in between her right ear and her shoulder as she rummaged through some paperwork in the kitchen drawers. She had been so curious ever since learning about the letters her mother sent her years ago and she intended on finding them. Confiding in her very best friend Kylie Danforth, the two had searched hours upon hours to find them, and had not yet prevailed. Now, with Kylie's guidance on the line and Troy out and about, Rebecca sought to find them herself and confront her father about why he never showed them to her before.

"_Are you sure they're not in the kitchen?_"

"They can't be," Rebecca shook her head. "I went through every drawer."

"_Does your Dad have a bureau or something that he keeps things in? Because if he does they could be in there_." Kylie suggested.

"He does have this old beat-up chest that my grandfather gave him. I'll check that."

"_Okay_."

Rebecca checked the driveway and the road again for her father's truck, just to make sure he wasn't on his way home to find her in his bedroom. When all signs were clear, she headed up the stairs and directly into her father's room. She had to laugh when she realized his bed was unmade and clothes were strewn across the floor. Even though Troy Bolton was almost thirty years old, he still had habits of a teenage boy. Making a beeline for the chest in the corner of the room, Rebecca knelt down in front of it and pried it open.

"_Did you find them?_" Kylie asked anxiously.

"Not yet," Rebecca answered, delving through her family history.

Inside there were billions of pictures from family reunions, weddings, birthday parties and just any time the family got together. She found a dozen pictures of herself as a baby and then as a young child, but it was one picture, found amongst others of Troy and Gabriella in earlier years, that truly made her heart melt. She must have been about sixteen or seventeen months old, and Gabriella was holding her happily in her arms. Troy's arms were wrapped around his then-wife, kissing the side of her head contentedly. Rebecca placed that picture to the side- she'd have to frame that one later.

"You should see the picture I just found."

"_Ooh, what is it?_"

"It's me as a baby and my Mom's holding me and Dad's kissing her. It's... indescribable."

"_Aw, how sweet._"

"But still no letters. I'm beginning to think he got rid of them."

"_Do you think he would do that?_"

"I don't know. He might. If he wanted to-"

But then she stopped talking. Because underneath her own baby book was a bundle of letters, the return address reading _Gabriella Montez_. She found them. She actually found them. Rebecca lifted the letters out of the chest and put everything back where it came from. Slowly and silently- she was still too shocked to speak- she opened the first one and found it was dated July sixth, 2011. Counting back, Rebecca realized she would've been only two years old. She ripped open the next one. September seventeenth, 2015. She was six.

"_Becca? Are you still there? What happened?_"

"Ky, I... I found them."

"_Oh my god!"_ She shrieked excitedly. "_What do they say?_"

"_My beloved Rebecca Jane_," She read calmly and slowly. "_Words cannot express how sorry I am for leaving you and your father, or how much I miss and love you both. By the time you read this, you won't even know who I am because I left so early. I regret doing so, and I just want you to know that I'm coming back for you some day. Some day very near I will return to New Mexico and you, your father and I will be the happy family we always should have been. I love you sweetheart and I don't want you to think I left because of you. You're my angel and I so wish to be back there, holding you in my arms again. I don't plan on being gone long, just a few weeks, maybe a month. I promise you that I'll be back soon, so please, don't ever worry. I love you so much, baby girl. Keep on smiling for Daddy. Love, Mom._"

"_Oh god,_" Kylie said after a moment. "_That's so sweet_."

"I don't know what to say after that." Rebecca said truthfully. "She always had the intention of coming back but... it just took her longer than expected, I guess."

"_Was that the first letter?_" Her best friend questioned.

Rebecca nodded, though she knew her friend couldn't see her. "Yeah. I'm kind of scared to read the rest."

"_Becca you have to!_" Kylie encouraged. "_These letters were meant for you and your Dad kept them from you. Doesn't that make you want to read them even more?_"

"I guess so. Okay, here's one that's dated my birthday," She took a deep breath. "_Dear Rebecca, today's your day! You've finally reached your tenth birthday and I can't even imagine how much you've grown and matured. I just want you to know that you're always in my thoughts and prayers. Coming back has taken a little bit longer than I expected, but I _will_ be back someday. It'll be soon, I promise. You're almost a pre-teenager, so I'm sure you're giving your father all kinds of grief and trouble these days. Good for you! You should enjoy being a kid as long as you possibly can because trust me, it goes by way too quickly. I really want to see you, Becca. I'll be there as soon as I can leave here. I miss and love you as always. Love, Mom._"

"_Wow, if that was sent on your tenth birthday..._"

"... then it was only sent last year," Rebecca finished.

"_She was always thinking about you, Becca._" Kylie sighed.

"She never forgot about me." She murmured quietly.

Just then, a car was heard pulling into her driveway. Rebecca's eyes widened. "Kylie, he's home!"

"_Confront him, Beck! You can do this!_"

"Okay. I'll talk to you later. I gotta go."

"_Okay, bye Becca._"

"Bye Kyles."

She hung up the phone and returned it to its receiver just as her father was walking in the door. He appeared to be in a good mood as he hung his car keys up on the hook by the front door and removed his shoes before trekking through the house. Rebecca watched the scene unfold before she descended the stairs and met him in the living room, her arms folded and her right hand gripping the letters tightly. Troy greeted her with a smile, but it faded when he noticed the disappointed expression on her delicate features.

"Beck, are you okay?"

"Why didn't you ever show me these?" Rebecca held out the letters for her father to see, ignoring his question.

He didn't have to look at what she was holding to know what she was talking about. "Rebecca, why were you going through my things?"

"Dad, that's not the point," She shook her head. "Mom told me that she sent me all of these letters as I was growing up and you never showed them to me. She sent me two letters a year- sometimes three- and you kept them hidden from me. Why?"

Troy had a pained expression his face when he uttered, "Mom?"

Rebecca looked confused. "Um, yes. Mom. She's my mother, that's usually what you call your mother."

When he didn't respond, she asked again. "Why, Dad? Why did you want nothing to do with her? Why didn't you want me to know anything about my own mother?"

"I didn't want you to know anything about her because I thought we were just fine on our own," Troy admitted truthfully. "I didn't want you to know how much she hurt us by leaving or what had actually happened when she did. I thought if I could protect you from those things then you'd never know about her and you wouldn't ever get hurt."

"Dad, please excuse me for saying this, but that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Rebecca laughed slightly. "Don't you see that by keeping me from knowing about my mother is actually _hurting_ me more than it is helping me? I'm eleven years old, Dad. I need a mother."

"So what are you saying? I should start dating around again?"

"No! God, you're so immature!" She shouted in frustration. "I need a mother, but I want _my_ mother. You need to fix things with Gabriella and come to terms with your true feelings. Grow up, Dad."

Troy watched, stunned, as Rebecca stormed upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door in anger. He sauntered over to the couch and took a seat, her words echoing through his mind all the while.

_Grow up, Dad..._


	10. A Gray Cloud's Silver Lining

**My sweet 16 was amazing, thank you for asking. As was Legally Blonde: The Musical. Oh my god, that was the best thing I have ever seen. You HAVE to go see it if you get the chance. It was so great. I'm in love with it at the moment, lol (if you couldn't tell from my profile picture). Also, thank you for all the happy birthday wishes! They were greatly appreciated! I loved your reviews. Some made me laugh, some made me nod in agreement, and some were just right on. You guys are so great. And I hate to have to say this to you, but... we're almost done here. I know! Sad, right? I just finished the last chapter today (phew!), and it literally took me all day. But I think it's a good ending to a good story, so hopefully you'll like it too. Anyway, we don't have to worry about that now. Enjoy this chapter!**

**I own nothing. Hopefully that'll change soon...**

* * *

Chapter Ten: A Gray Cloud's Silver Lining

--

_Nineteen-year-old Gabriella Montez could cry._

_And honestly, if she wasn't surrounded by her entire AP Sociology class, she would._

_She'd left her small hometown with the satisfaction of not becoming pregnant as a teenager, and yet, here she was in college with child. This was going to be a fun conversation with Troy. How could she tell her boyfriend that they were going to be parents when they were still in college and not even married? It would crush both of their hopes and dreams, but in the same light... she was kind of excited. Motherhood was a blessed event, whether you were nineteen or thirty-nine. In fact, her mother was young when she had her older sister, Samantha, so Troy and Gabriella could handle this... right?_

_Walking back to her dormitory, she realized the biggest feeling she was experiencing was fear. What was going to happen? How was Troy going to react? How were their parents going to react? It was a scary thing to think about, especially when you shouldn't have to think about these things for another four or five years. When she opened the door, she found her roommate was out for the afternoon but Troy was waiting for her, and his content grin fell drastically when he noticed her upset tone. She placed her books on the table by the door and fell upon the couch, Troy following suite._

"_What's wrong?" He asked immediately, running his fingers through her soft curls. "Bad class?"_

"_No," She answered truthfully, not going to beat around the bush. "Bad test."_

_He laughed. "I'm sure you did fine."_

_She shook her head vigorously. "Not at all, Troy. I failed."_

"_You never fail anything," Troy opposed. "And how do you know what you got already?"_

_A flush of color rose on her cheeks. "Um... it was one of those tests that only takes two minutes for results."_

_Troy paused for a moment before realizing exactly what she was talking about. "Oh no, you're not... are you?"_

_She nodded sadly. "I am."_

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah that was pretty much my reaction too."_

"_Well..." Troy began after a moment. "What are we gonna do?"_

"_I don't know what you're gonna do, but I'm gonna have this baby," Gabriella decided confidently, "There's not much else I can do."_

"_True," Troy laughed nervously. "Okay. So... we're gonna have a baby. That sounds weird."_

"_Tell me about it."_

--

Troy sat for a long time at the top of the stairs. He sat and he thought.

Rebecca had _never_ spoken to him like that ever before. Just thinking about the anger in her voice made him think he'd failed as a father. For some reason, he just knew that she was completely unhappy and it hadn't been this clear until now. His job as a parent was to keep his daughter happy, healthy, and safe no matter what happened. He'd done his best at maintaining the last two, but keeping Rebecca happy had turned out to be much more difficult than he'd planned. Troy always believed that she was content with the way things were in their life, but maybe he hadn't been paying too much attention to her feelings.

But all things pushed aside, he knew she was right.

He needed to get over this thing he had with Gabriella. And the truth was, he never actually knew why he started this barrier in the first place. Maybe it was to try and punish her for leaving him; to make her feel how he had when she left. Maybe he wanted her to feel pain, though he doubted this was the reason. He never wanted Gabriella to be in pain. Troy would never inflict pain on anyone. But it just didn't seem fair to him that she could come back and be welcomed into the neighborhood again as if she never left.

But then again, life was _never _fair.

And more to this truth was that he loved her. He loved her so _freaking_ much but he couldn't allow himself to tell her, because telling her meant admitting a truth she wanted to hear, and he couldn't let her win again. He couldn't let her get her way _again_. He wanted to be the one in the winner's circle for once, completely satisfied with the results of how life was turning out. But how would he know when Gabriella had suffered enough under his bitterness? Troy was sure she'd give up trying eventually and then move back to New York, and he'd never see her again. And that is certainly not what he wanted.

Because all he really wanted was for her to love him again.

Rebecca said it herself, she needed a mother, but she wanted _her_ mother. Troy hadn't dated since Rebecca was four because he found no one else was worth his time. This truly told him that there was no way he was ever going to settle for anyone but the one who was always made for him. He'd loved Gabriella since the third grade, which was before he even knew what love meant. But his mother had always teased him about his crush on her, and his father had always known the two of them would end up together. Troy used to think about the future when they were going out as high-schoolers. He'd think about the type of home they'd live in, their marriage, their careers, and even the number of kids they'd have.

But nothing had turned out the way he expected.

Standing, Troy finally pulled himself off of his position on the stairs and walked the short distance down the hallway to Rebecca's bedroom. He knocked on the door twice before pushing it open and revealing the pink girly room he and Gabriella had decorated upon finding out the sex of the child. He was pleased to see that Rebecca had never changed the room, nor had she shown any sign of wanting to. Rebecca was sitting cross-legged on her bed, flipping through a photo album and glanced up when Troy stepped in the room. Immediately, a look of guilt flashed throughout her features.

"Dad, I'm really sorry. What I said back there was totally uncalled for and I-"

But Troy cut her off. "No Beck, you were right."

She looked surprised. "I was?"

"Yeah. My behavior has been completely childish and I should 'grow up.' I just... I don't know how to do it."

Rebecca watched as her father sat in her desk chair across from the bed. "Dad, I don't know what to tell you. How do you feel about Mom?"

He stared at her pointedly. "I think you know how I feel."

She sighed. "Work with me here."

"Okay, okay!" Troy laughed slightly, but then grew serious. "I love her. And might I just add that it feels really weird admitting this to you."

"Dad, I can help. Kylie's mom is a therapist," Rebecca assured. "Okay, um... you love her. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that she loves you too. I mean, why else would she come back?"

"To see you. That's the whole reason."

"Um, no. I was only part of the deal," Rebecca said. "You know she came back for you. She missed you."

"Well I missed her too, Beck, but things can't ever be the same between us. When we were growing up, we never missed a single minute with each other. Every day, she was either at my place or I was at hers. I _loved_ our relationship like that. But now she's been gone for ten years. We'll never be able to catch up."

"It doesn't hurt to try," She suggested. "Besides, maybe she just needed a little space. I mean, come on Dad, _every day_? That's a bit much, don't you think? Kylie and I don't even spend every day together. We'd be _so_ sick of each other if we did that."

Troy rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright, smarty pants, I see your point. Maybe she needed a little time to herself. But ten years? No one needs that much time."

"Dad, let it go about the whole ten years thing. I have. You don't hear me complaining, do you?"

Troy bit his lip, a habit he'd gained from Gabriella years back. "You're right. I should stop worrying about the past."

"Exactly. It's over and done with. What you've got to do now is start thinking about the future, and who you want in it. Because Mom won't wait forever."

This was exactly what Troy was thinking before. Gabriella _wouldn't_ wait forever. Eventually, she'd move on and find someone else, and he most certainly didn't want that. "Thanks Rebecca. You know, I think _you're_ the therapist."

She laughed. "Kylie and I were bored one day and we found one of Mrs. Danforth's books on the coffee table in the living room. It was about healthy relationships; isn't that funny?"

"What a coincidence."

"I know!" Rebecca grinned. "Most of that I just made up, though. I'm glad I could help you."

Troy just smiled. "You are definitely _just_ like your mother."

* * *

"How the hell did _he_ get the house?"

Samantha sighed. "I don't know Gabriella. Just... help me, please?"

"I thought he was moving in with the whore?"

"I don't want to talk about it, really."

Gabriella sighed. With her sister's due date only two weeks away and the divorce almost finalized, she'd been hired to help move Samantha into her parents' house until she could get back on her feet again. Gabriella couldn't really understand how everyone was going to fit in the house, seeing as it wasn't very large to begin with. Nicholas and Maria Montez were already living in it, and Gabriella had been staying there the entire time. But now Samantha, Daniel, and Hannah were moving in too, and soon there would be two more to add to their family. How could a three-bedroom house fit eight people?

"Sam, you've got so much stuff." Nicholas complained, hauling suitcases and boxes over the threshold into his house.

"I'm sorry, Dad. But if Dave got the house, I _had_ to get the things inside of it."

Gabriella just laughed as she watched her father and sister move things inside the house they grew up in. She lifted another one of the boxes on the front lawn, which, thankfully, wasn't that heavy, when she heard a car pull in the driveway. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed it was Troy's beat-up old truck, and both he and Rebecca hopped out of the vehicle. Rebecca, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a green tank top, looked excited and happy to be there, and she hurried over to her mother to give her a proper greeting. Troy, however, dressed much neater than usual, looked apprehensive, and Gabriella pursed her lips upon meeting his gaze.

"Hi Mom!"

"Hi sweetheart," Gabriella returned the hug when Rebecca offered it to her. "What are two doing here?"

"Well I wanted to visit my grandparents," Rebecca explained, and then her voice lowered. "And Dad wants to talk to you."

"Okay, well they're inside."

"Thanks!"

As she ran off, Troy approached her, clearing his throat nervously. "Uh... hi."

"Hi."

"Look, the other night-"

Gabriella just waved it off. "Oh, no, you don't have to explain. You shouldn't have done it, and... I shouldn't have wanted it so badly."

"Gabriella..."

"No really, it's fine," She interrupted again. Changing the subject, she began, "So, how are you?"

"Alright. You?" He only then noticed the box in her arms. "What are you doing?"

"Packing things up. Ugh, I hate moving."

Troy's heart fell to his stomach. Moving. She was _moving_. Well what did he expect? He did tell her to go home. But how could she possibly listen to him _again_? Whatever was happening, Troy knew he couldn't let it, because losing her would mean losing his whole world, and he couldn't deal with that again. Once was enough. He thought for sure she was back to stay this time and he'd do anything in his power to make that so. Troy watched as she loaded a few more things into a box and heaved it onto the front porch. She seemed perplexed, but not at all discouraged, and that somewhat frightened him.

_Becca told me she'd move on eventually... What if she moved on??_

"Um, you're moving?" He asked, trying not to sound disappointed.

Gabriella cast him an odd stare. "Samantha's getting divorced. Her asshole husband was cheating on her..."

"Yeah, but you're..." Troy still seemed confused.

"... Helping her move back into my parents' place?" She finished for him, and he finally seemed to understand.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well I was just..." He tried to begin a new conversation but things felt strained. "I was taking Rebecca to lunch, but she said something about visiting your parents, so I brought her over for a quick chat."

"Oh that was nice of you," She commented. "I'm glad she still had contact with them all these years."

"They're her grandparents. I wasn't going to let her grow up with only one set of grandparents."

"Why not?" Gabriella carelessly asked. "She grew up with only one parent."

Troy eyed her. "Yeah... she did."

"Okay Dad, I'm ready for lunch!!"

They both glanced over as their daughter came bounding through the door, a gleeful smile upon her face. "Well...? Aren't you?"

"Yeah," Troy answered, but his eyes never left Gabriella's face.

"Oh, wait!!" Rebecca smacked her forehead. "I forgot! Kylie and I are going to Lauren's for a Girl Scout meeting today!! Right now, actually! I'm sorry, Dad. I can't go to lunch with you!"

At this, his attention turned towards her. "You can't? But Beck, it's my day off."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Well... it's alright. I'll just get take-out or something..."

Rebecca had to keep the grin from spreading on her face when she suggested, "Why don't you ask Gabriella to go to lunch with you?"

Troy glanced at Gabriella before pointedly staring at his daughter. "Because, I don't really think she'd-"

"I'd love to." Gabriella answered and Rebecca turned to her mother, her eyes gleaming.

"Well great! You guys have a great time, then! Bye!"

They both watched as she sprinted down the street towards the Danforth's, and Troy cleared his throat. "Okay, well... let's go then."

Gabriella nodded and began to follow him when Samantha reappeared in the driveway. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Sam, if you love me, you'll let me go," She pleaded. "_Please_?"

Samantha took one look behind her sister before getting the gist. "Ohhh, I get it. Well then what are you doing still standing here? Go!!"

"Oh my god, thank you!"

She watched her younger sister climb into Troy Bolton's old truck and grinned. "No, thank you."

* * *

Troy and Gabriella were seated at a rectangular booth, facing each other, in the old restaurant that overlooked the water. The restaurant had been there longer then they'd been alive, but it still served the best food in the entire state. Gabriella remembered as a child when her sister worked in the restaurant as a waitress as a part-time job, and she and Troy used to come in _everyday_ to annoy her. They would be pointedly obnoxious or order a bunch of menu items and then leave before the food was brought out. Thinking back on it now, she couldn't really find a reason why they'd done that stuff, but they certainly had a hell of a time doing it.

Now, they were talking like they would despite the past. They shared each other's past ten years and caught up on what had happened lately. Troy heard all about college in New York, shopping and living in New York, and Jacob Symonds, to which he'd made fun of him for hours on end. Gabriella heard all about Rebecca growing up, all of their friends marrying and having children, and Troy dating a number of horrible girls before deciding not to date ever again.

"... wait, wait, I've got a better one," Troy waved his hands as Gabriella continued to laugh hysterically. "Okay, maybe... five years ago? I went out with this girl, Abby, and she claimed she went to high school with us and had always been crushing on me, right?"

"Uh-huh," Gabriella paused to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.

"So I get to the bar, and I'm looking for Abby, who's supposed to be wearing a red cocktail dress and have long blonde hair. At this point, I'm picturing a much sluttier Sharpay, but when she-"

"Wait a minute, did you use an _online dating service_?!" Gabriella asked incredulously.

Troy flushed crimson. "It wasn't my idea."

Gabriella burst into a whole new set of laughter.

"Anyway," He said loudly. "When she finally found me, she was this hideous creature from the dark lagoon. She had a huge nose, these dull gray eyes, and the biggest mole on the top of her lip I'd ever seen. Her hair was not blonde, thought it was long, but it was black and straggly looking and definitely from a bottle. And she didn't even look that old. But when she talked... god, I think her voice was deeper than mine."

"Oh my god!!"

"Exactly! She had this horrid smoker voice, and was like, 'Hey there, hot stuff. You ready to party it up?' I just stood there, completely shocked, and stared at this... _thing_."

"What'd you do?"

"I escaped, thank god. And took my profile off that online dating service."

"Oh my god, Troy, that's so funny."

As Gabriella's laughter calmed and things between them seemed to fade into silence, Troy thought about her previous comment earlier in the day. "Um... Gabriella, what you said before about Rebecca growing up with only one parent-"

"I probably shouldn't have said that."

"No, I was going to say that I've moved on. I'm over it. It was ridiculous for me to hold a grudge and... it's in the past now."

Gabriella looked at him in incredulity. "You? Get over something? Damn, is the apocalypse upon us?"

"Ha ha," He laughed dryly. "Honestly, I had a long talk with Becca and she made me realize that holding a grudge is an immature high school act so... yeah."

"An immature high school act it was," Gabriella agreed. "But remember how many of those we've had?"

"Like that time senior year when we got Chad and Jason to help us use a crane to get Principal Matsui's car?" Troy reminisced.

"Oh my god," Gabriella laughed. "Yes! And then we dangled it over the lake?"

"But Jason accidentally pressed the release button and dropped it into the water."

"We got in _so_ much trouble," She remembered. "Oh! Or that time we ate all of those cookies your mom made for her boss's Christmas present when we were ten?"

Troy chuckled. "Yes. Twenty-four chocolate chip cookies and we ate them _all_."

"She was so pissed off when she couldn't find them."

"And we had to re-bake two batches of cookies."

"We looked totally guilty but she never suspected it was us..."

"Until she came back home and found us covered in flour and chocolate chips," He pointed out. "Then she pretty much knew."

"Remember when Sam had her first boyfriend in eighth grade? We were twelve, I think, and I was convinced that he was bad news?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded. "We snuck into the R-rated movie they were seeing to 'supervise' their date."

"Yeah, and it ended up being some horrible thing and we were so scared and were _clinging_ to each other for dear life."

"I had nightmares for a week," Troy admitted and Gabriella laughed.

"Me too!"

"Yeah, your sister pretty much had a love-hate relationship with us." He noted.

She smiled. "But mostly love."

There was a short silence before Troy reached over and interlaced his hand with hers, feeling amazed at how perfect their hands fit and how right it felt. "We've had some great times, haven't we?"

Gabriella grinned and squeezed his hand in hers. "We sure have."

* * *

"God, move over Beck! I can't see anything!"

"Sorry," Rebecca apologized from her position behind the hostess desk.

"Genius idea, by the way," Kylie commented. "You know, the whole fake Girl Scout thing. Brilliant."

"Thanks," She grinned sheepishly.

Rebecca had come up with the plan to get her parents to go to lunch with each other without her on the spot, and thanked her intelligent mind for doing so. She raced all the way down to Kylie's house and informed her of this plan, which Kylie also thought was amazing, and the two headed sneakily up to the restaurant where her parents were dining. Since business at the restaurant had been slowing down, the hostess took her lunch break, and Rebecca and Kylie took to the desk to watch Troy and Gabriella's every move. A fool-proof plan, no?

"This is so sweet," Kylie gushed. "It's like watching them fall in love all over again."

"You know what they say, Ky," Rebecca grinned cheekily. "Every gray cloud has a silver lining."


	11. Accidentally In Love

**Forget everything I've ever said. _This_ is the longest freaking chapter ever. I don't think I've ever written a chapter that was _12 pages long_. 12 pages!! That's ridiculous, lol. But there was so much I had to say and so much I had to cover. You know, like I said before, once I start talking, I just can't shut the hell up, hahaha. So anyway, thank you so much for all your reviews and comments about the previous chapter. I loved reading them all so thanks a lot!! This is the technical last chapter (I'm crying, and I know you are too, hahaha) though there will be an epilogue-sort of thing. I already wrote it, and it's really really sad to see this story end. I'm not even sure what kind of story I want to write next, though I have a few ideas. So we'll see! But whatever it is, be sure to check it out in the near future!!**

**I own nothing but the lovely reviews you all gave me. Thanks a bunch!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Accidentally In Love

--

"_Why did we ever think we could do this?" An angry twenty-year-old Troy yelled at his wife. "Why did we think marriage at nineteen would be okay?"_

"_You think it's not okay?" She asked incredulously._

"_Of course it's not freaking okay!" Troy was fuming. "I missed out on my chances to actually _make_ something of myself! We dropped out of college to do this, Gabriella! Don't you get it? We're college drop-outs! We're not any better than those who never made it to college."_

"_Why do you think that I don't know that? Of course I realize we dropped out!! But it wasn't because we couldn't handle the work or anything, Troy. We had a good reason!"_

"_Uh-huh, real good reason," Troy smirked sarcastically. _

"_Did you just insult your daughter?" Gabriella gasped._

"_No, I believe I insulted you." He shot back icily._

"_You know what Troy? I hate this life as much as you do! So stop making it like you're the only one suffering! Because of this, I have some shit job down at the restaurant. You think that's what I planned for my life? Do you think that's what I wanted?" She screamed, her face red and contorted with anger._

"_I really freaking have no clue. But by the way, how is that shit job you've got? 'Cause Beck and I never see you."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You're never around!" Troy accused. "You work at that stupid-ass restaurant twenty-four-seven, so when's the small little fraction of time for your FAMILY?"_

"_As far as I'm concerned," Gabriella began, just getting revved up. "I'm the one making more money here, Troy! So my work hours are kind of important!"_

_Troy looked clearly insulted and disgusted. "Whatever, we don't need you anyway."_

_She stopped in her tracks. "W-What?"_

"_I said we don't need you."_

"_Why would you say that?"_

"_Because it's true."_

_Gabriella was so hurt by that single statement. "W-well fine. I might as well just leave then."_

"_Well maybe you should!"_

"_Maybe I will!"_

"_Just go, then! Get out of here! Leave!"_

_Gabriella, fuming with rage, pushed past him and headed upstairs to the nursery where their baby girl, a mere eighteen months, was lying, half-asleep in her crib. She smiled sleepily upon the sight of her mother. "Mama..."_

"_Hi baby. Look honey, Mom's gotta leave for a little while. I'm sure you don't understand this," Gabriella explained tearfully. "But Daddy and I had a big fight. So... I'm done with him. But I love you so much. And I'll be back again someday. I promise you, sweetheart."_

_Rebecca Jane Bolton, being so young, clearly didn't understand, but the smile that had once occupied her small features had disappeared. She let out a whine and Gabriella kissed her daughter for the last time._

"_I love you... and I'll be back soon. I promise."_

_Unfortunately, it was a promise she hadn't kept._

--

"Mommy, look at this one!!"

"I see it, honey. That's really pretty," Samantha answered tiredly.

"Sam, at least try to sound excited," Gabriella teased, and her sister glared at her.

"You try being _four days _overdue."

Gabriella had to laugh. Her sister's due date had come and gone four days ago, and now she was less than thrilled with being pregnant and over-anxious to give birth to her twins. It was really rare to be overdue when pregnant with multiples, as they were usually born a few weeks before the nine month mark. Unfortunately for Samantha, she was still pregnant. Today was July eighteenth, and Gabriella and Rebecca were spending time with Samantha, Daniel, and Hannah. The kids were in the driveway, which was newly paved, drawing different things with their multicolored sidewalk chalk, while Samantha and Gabriella were chatting from the top of the driveway. Gabriella marveled at how well Rebecca got along with her younger cousins. She was playing and laughing with them, and the two younger children seemed happy that someone new was there to play with them.

"Mommy, you come make something!" An excited Hannah squealed, hopping up and down.

"Baby, if I get down there I might not get back up," Samantha said, walking over to her children.

"Please?"

"Yeah Mommy, please?"

It took both Rebecca and Gabriella to help her get down on the pavement. "Okay, what do you want me to draw?"

"A bunny!"

"No, a pirate!"

"A pirate bunny!"

Rebecca laughed and turned to Gabriella. "Are they always this hyper?"

"I think they're just really excited about meeting their new siblings soon," Gabriella answered. "But sometimes, yeah."

"They're so much fun," Rebecca commented, selecting a stick of purple chalk and beginning to draw a flower. "I wish I had a brother or sister."

Gabriella smiled. "Hopefully someday you'll get one."

"I hope so."

"Mommy," Daniel asked in confusion. "What is that?"

"It's a pirate bunny, like you told me to draw." Samantha defended her drawing.

"No it's not!" Hannah laughed.

"Yes it is! Look, there's the cute little bunny nose and the ears and the little tail. And there's his pirate hat and his peg leg and his earring."

The children looked at the drawing confusedly before looking at their mother and bursting into a fit of giggles. It didn't take long before Samantha joined her kids and laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks. It had been such a stressful few weeks, so joy and laughter with her children was exactly what she needed right now. She asked Hannah and Daniel if they were hungry and they nodded, and Samantha motioned towards Rebecca and Gabriella, shooting them pleading looks. They laughed and grabbed her arms, hoisting her to a standing position and walking in towards the house. Just then, Samantha grabbed her stomach and a look of shock washed over her face.

"Ew!" Hannah shrieked. "Mommy's leaking!"

"Oh my god, my water broke."

Rebecca stared. "Um... now what?"

"We have to get her to the hospital." Gabriella said urgently, ushering her sister into her car. "Rebecca, do you mind staying here with Danny and Hannah?"

She looked dejected, but nodded. "Sure."

Gabriella sensed her disappointment. "Or would you like to come?"

"Okay!"

Daniel, Hannah, and Rebecca were in the backseat with Samantha in the passenger side and Gabriella driving urgently but not rapidly to the hospital. They found a parking spot near the front of the building and hurried inside. Checking in at the maternity ward's front desk, Samantha was immediately forced into a wheel chair and asked all sorts of questions she felt less than prepared to be answering. Gabriella, Rebecca, and the children stood by, watching the madness and feeling clueless on what they could do.

"Are you early, late, or on time, Mrs. Thomas?"

"Well I'm _divorced_, so I'm not Mrs. Thomas anymore. And I'm very late, thank you."

"And you're having twins?"

"Yes. Where's my doctor?"

"We've just paged him. He should be here within ten to twenty minutes."

Samantha groaned. "Well page him again and tell him to come faster."

"Just try and relax, ma'am. You'll be done in no time."

"Try to relax?" Samantha shrieked, causing the waiting room to look in her direction. "I'm pregnant with _twins_, four days overdue, and having extremely intense contractions. You want me to _relax_??"

"Sam," Gabriella tried. "Don't scream at the secretary."

The secretary called for a nurse who ushered Samantha into a labor and delivery room. Gabriella bit her lip and watched as her sister was wheeled away. Now _she_ was the one freaking out. Her husband, or ex-husband, now, was not present, nor was he going to come and someone would have to coach Samantha through the delivery. But Gabriella had never done this before. The one time she was in a delivery room was when _she_ was giving birth. She'd been in that position, not the other one. She didn't even know what to say to encourage her sister.

"Um, shouldn't you go with her?" Rebecca asked, nodding towards the doors they'd pushed her aunt through. "She'll need someone to help her in there."

"Yeah you're right," Gabriella sighed. "I've just never done this before."

"Hey Dad never did it before either, but here I am, so he must've done something right in encouraging you," She grinned. "Besides it can't be that hard. Just tell her she's doing great and she should keep going, I guess."

Her mother laughed. "Becca, how do you know all of this?"

She shrugged. "I watched _A Baby Story_."

"Right. Look, just call your grandparents and let them know what's going on. I'm going to go in there. Look after Danny and Hannah too, will you?"

"Of course," Rebecca nodded, squeezing both Daniel and Hannah's hands which were threaded in both of hers. "Good luck."

Gabriella headed off and Rebecca led Daniel and Hannah over to the kids section where they quickly busied themselves with the various toys and games there. She walked over to the phone and called Samantha and Gabriella's parents. They were beside themselves with joy and asked which floor they were located on in the hospital and informed her that they would be there fairly soon to meet their new grandchildren. Rebecca grinned and told them she'd meet them in the waiting room on the maternity ward floor. She then hung up and called her father.

"Hello?"

"Dad, it's me."

"Beck, why are you calling from the hospital? Are you alright? Did something happen?" Troy asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," She assured him. "Aunt Samantha is having the twins now. I just wanted to tell you so you didn't freak out when I didn't come home in ten minutes."

Troy laughed. "You scared me half to death, Becca. But good, then you'll have two new little cousins."

"I know. I'm excited."

"You should be. I'm glad you told me."

"Okay, so I don't know when I'll be home. But... it's okay because I'm with Mom." Rebecca informed her father.

Troy smiled. "I know you're in good hands."

About a half hour after the conversation with her father, Rebecca was playing simultaneously in a doll house with Hannah and Legos with Danny. Gabriella emerged from the swinging doors leading to the delivery room, a huge grin upon on her face.

"Becca?"

"Yeah? What?" She jumped up excitedly.

"The first one's a girl."

"Aw, yay!"

"And Sam knows the twins are fraternal. So either she has two girls, not identical, or a boy and a girl." Gabriella seemed flustered. "I gotta get back in there, because they said the second one wasn't too far apart from the first. But I just wanted to tell you."

"Thank you!" Rebecca called eagerly as Gabriella retreated back to her sister. She sank down to Daniel and Hannah again. "Danny, Hannah, you guys have a little sister. Are you excited?"

"Yay, sister!" Hannah clapped happily.

"I want Mommy to have a boy," Danny crossed his arms. "I want a brother. I already have a sister!"

"Well now you have two," Rebecca said gently. "Maybe your Mommy will have a boy now. Remember? She's having two babies."

"Oh yeah!"

About eight to ten minutes later, Gabriella came into sight again from the swinging double doors, and walked over to her daughter, nephew, and niece. "It's a boy."

"Yay!" Daniel shouted, clapping his hands happily. "A brother!!"

"That's perfect," Rebecca smiled. "A sister for Hannah and a brother for Danny. That's just what they wanted."

"It's what Sam wanted too. Come on you guys," Gabriella motioned for them to follow her. "Let's go see your mommy and new brother and sister."

While Gabriella took Hannah's hand and Rebecca took Daniel's, they walked down the long hospital corridor towards the recovery room where Samantha and her twins had been moved to. Danny talked about how he was going to teach his brother how to play all the games and sports he knew how to play, and they would be the best of friends. Hannah was more silent, her eyes glazing over and allowing her to think of all the things her and her little sister could do together as they grew up. Rebecca grinned, but felt a small pang of pain when she realized she'd never experienced this excitement, and wanted nothing more than to have a sibling of her own. She reached out and slipped her free hand through Gabriella's other, who smiled at her in return.

"Knock knock," Gabriella said upon entering the room where her sister was located. "You've got some visitors."

Samantha looked completely worn out, but smiled tiredly at her son, daughter, and niece. "Hi guys. Come on in."

Next to her bed there were two little glass bassinettes, each with two tiny little babies in them. The first child was awake and looking around fearfully, not fully aware of her surroundings. A small pink hat was resting upon her head and she was wrapped in a pink knit blanket. The name card on the front of this bassinette read _It's A Girl!!_ with her name, Lilly Anna Thomas. The second child was sound asleep, looking completely peaceful and precious. He was dressed the same as his twin sister, only with a blue cap and blanket, and his name card read _It's A Boy!! _with his name, Nicholas Michael Thomas directly underneath. Samantha sighed complacently.

"I named him after Dad."

"That's amazing, Samantha. He'll be so happy."

"Can I hold one?" Rebecca asked timidly, staring wide-eyed at the infants.

"Of course," Samantha nodded. "Take your pick."

Rebecca reached out and carefully cradled Nicholas into her arms. "Hi baby. I'm your cousin Rebecca."

As Gabriella watched Rebecca interact with her new baby cousin, she got a heartwarming feeling. Lifting the other baby into her arms, she said, "Hey Lilly. I'm your Aunt Gabriella. We're going to have some good times messing with your mommy, aren't we? If you ever need anything, anything at all, I want you to come see me, okay? I'll always be here for you, sweetheart."

"Does that mean...?" Samantha began to ask. "Are you really...?"

"I made this mistake before, Sam. I don't want to make it again." Gabriella said proactively. "I'm staying in Cold Water Lake. Permanently."

* * *

"Dad! Dad!" Rebecca shouted, even though she was still yards away from her home. "Dad!! Where are you?!"

Troy came running from the house, thinking there was an emergency as he saw his daughter running down the street. "What? Rebecca what is it?"

She was out of breath but she tried to get the sentence out. "Dad... she's leaving... you have to... leaving... and I don't know... coming back... oh my god... she's-"

"Okay, okay, Beck, calm down." He ushered her to the front porch and sat her down on a wicker chair. "Catch your breath and then tell me what happened."

"Dad, we don't have that kind of time," Rebecca shook her head vigorously. "She's leaving. Mom's going back to New York City."

Troy's heart sank into his stomach. "She's what?"

"She told me that she'd come back every now and then to visit, but that she couldn't take being around here anymore," Rebecca lied through her teeth. "She's going back to be with the guy who proposed to her. She said it's not what she really wanted, but it's what's right. It's meant to be. She told me to tell you goodbye."

He was in shock. "Are you serious? Because if you're not, this is not funny."

"Dad I'm not joking," She told him. _I'm not joking, I'm lying. There's a difference, right?_ "She's on her way to the airport right now. I watched her get on the Greyhound."

"Oh my god," He uttered finally as the shock wore off and reality sunk in. "Well what do I do? She's really gone?"

"She's gone, Dad. But you can get her back!! Go find her and make her stay."

"You're right... I have to go." Troy jumped to his feet and disappeared into the house. A few moments later he appeared again with his car keys and his wallet. "You coming?"

"Of course," She grinned, following him and hopping into the car.

Troy nearly sped down the road, not even bothering to pay for a Greyhound. He and his daughter could drive to Albuquerque Airport; it was only about twenty minutes to a half of an hour away. He was so worried that she was leaving because of him, and mentally cursed himself for being so indecisive. They had been getting along really well in the past few weeks, and truth be told he'd been feeling things he hadn't felt in a long time, most likely since they'd last been together. How could he let her get away like this? He needed to stop her before she made the mistake again, and he regretted his decision to push her away once more.

Meanwhile, Rebecca just felt really guilty. She'd never lied to her father before- well except that minor detail about not being able to go to lunch the other day, but that was for common good, and so was this, right? She felt bad making her father race all the way to the airport to get her mother back when technically, she wasn't going anywhere, but she wanted this family _so badly_ and she deserved it after all she's been through. They pulled up to the airport after a tense car ride, and both of them hopped out and raced to the front desk.

"Two tickets to New York City, please."

"Dad, we're going too?"

"Beck, we can't get past security if we don't have tickets." He explained to his daughter.

"Sure sir," The woman behind the desk smiled sweetly. "And which airport would you like to land in? Newark, JFK, or LaGuardia?"

"Um..." He trailed off, turning to Rebecca. "Do you know which one she's landing in?"

"No, sorry."

"Well I guess it doesn't matter. We just have to get to the gate." Troy decided. "Which one's the cheapest?"

"LaGuardia, sir."

"Okay, two tickets to LaGuardia."

After Troy purchased his two coach tickets to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, he and Rebecca raced through the airport, passing through security quickly and heading towards the planes departing to New York. As they passed the departure board, Rebecca pointed out that only two of the flights were still here, as the one leaving for JFK had just left. Troy hoped and prayed that she wasn't on that flight, and Rebecca told him that they had to hurry, as the flight leaving for Newark was boarding, and Gabriella may just be on that flight. And as they approached the terminal, they noticed that she was. She was waiting in the long line to board the plane that left at two forty-five, and it was now two-thirty.

"Gabriella!!" Troy shouted and ran towards her, by this point out of breath.

She turned around, startled by the sudden outburst. "Troy?"

"Good luck, Dad," Rebecca whispered as she watched him head over to her, much slower this time, and crossing her fingers.

"Troy what are you doing here?" Gabriella asked softly, walking out of the line.

"Gabriella, don't go. Don't get on that plane."

"Why not?" She asked slowly, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You told me I didn't come after you last time you left," Troy began to explain. "I'm not letting that happen this time. I love you, Gabriella. I love you so much and I need you to stay here with me. Don't go back to New York. Don't marry that entrepreneur. Stay here with me and Rebecca. I love you. Don't leave me again."

"Oh my god..."

"I've always loved you, Gabriella. I'm sure you've known that. I've been holding this ridiculous grudge over you since you left and I'm sure it was justified for a while, but not the whole time. I've grown up. I've moved on. But my feelings for you have never changed. I'm so sorry for treating you the way I did. You know I never meant to hurt you."

"Oh Troy," She took his hands in her own. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I never thought of anyone but myself through everything I've been through in my life. I didn't think about how much I'd be hurting you and Rebecca when I left. Samantha told me everything you told her after I'd gone and it broke my heart to know that I hurt you that much. _I_ never meant to hurt _you_, Troy. I feel horrible. And it's not that I ever stopped loving you, because I do. Of course I do. I love you. I've always loved you. I never expected our lives would turn out like this."

And in that moment, all feelings and troubles just melted away as one played strong: love. Troy pulled her closer to him and their lips met in a passionate romantic kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut and she wrapped her arms around his neck as his found their way to her waist. The other airport occupants didn't even give them a second glance, as they just nodded in pure agreement that it was finally about time Troy and Gabriella reunited the way there were supposed to. Breathing wasn't necessary, apparently, as they broke apart only a moment before getting back at it again.

Rebecca sighed in content. "We made it just in time."

"I love you." Troy confessed as they were pulling away.

"I love you, too," Gabriella smiled, fixing her purse back on her shoulder. "But I have to get on that plane."

Rebecca's smile grew even wider and she had to suppress her giggles.

"What?" Troy looked alarmed as Gabriella walked towards the terminal. "You're still going?"

"He just called for last boarding," She explained.

"But... Gabriella, after everything we just said?"

She laughed. "Troy, I'm coming back."

Troy just stared at her, and then turned his head towards his daughter. "You're coming back?"

This time, she just shot him a simple smile. "Hi Daddy."

"Of course I'm coming back," Gabriella said. "I'm just going to sell my apartment and quit my job. Wait, you thought I was leaving? For good?"

"That's what Rebecca told me."

"Becca, I told you to tell him I'd be back soon." The brunette stated.

Her daughter shrugged. "So I embellished the story a little? So what? It turned out better this way."

Gabriella reached up and kissed Troy once more. "It most certainly did."

"I can't believe you did that," Troy stated, still awed. "Where'd you learn to act like that?"

"I have professional scheming skills," She laughed and then fell in and hugged both of her parents at once. "Does this mean you guys are getting together?"

Both Troy and Gabriella hugged her right back and uttered one simple word. "Yes."

And just like that, their little broken family became whole once again.


	12. Where The Heart Is

**Oh man... I'm so sad!! This is the technical last chapter, people. Thank you all so SOOO much for your reviews and feedback during the two-month span this story survived. I'm so glad you all enjoyed it and that it was such a hit. I'm exhausted right now (big day at Great Escape, lol) but I remembered I had planned on posting the final chapter of this story today, and since I wasn't home I had to post it tonight. I decided since you guys _never_ let me down, I wasn't going to let you down. I love you all and thank you again!!**

**I own nothing. Please enjoy the final chapter of "Home Sweet Home."**

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Chapter Twelve: Where The Heart Is

_One Year Later..._

"Hey, there's the birthday girl," Gabriella called from the kitchen as Rebecca sleepily made her way downstairs.

"Morning Mom," She greeted her mother, yawning. "Blueberry pancakes?"

Gabriella grinned happily as she stirred the mix. "Well it's your birthday. It's special and calls for your favorite breakfast."

"Thanks Mom!"

"So, do you feel twelve yet?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No, not really."

"Aw, you will! Seventh grade is a great year, Becca. But, I guess you've just finished sixth, so... you've got two months until you have to worry about it."

Just then, Troy walked in from the back door where he was washing down the boat for the party later on. "Hey sleeping beauty is awake! Good morning, teenager!"

"Not yet, Dad," Rebecca laughed. "Next year!"

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," He kissed the top of her head as she thanked him, and then leaned in and kissed Gabriella softly. "Morning, wife."

She gave him a strange look, but replied, "Hello, husband."

Gabriella had stayed in New York City for a week, in which she'd successfully sold her penthouse apartment, sadly quit the job she loved, apologized profusely to Jacob Symonds, and said a tearful goodbye to her friends Jennifer and Christine. When she'd returned, she'd moved in with Troy and Rebecca, and only a few weeks later, he proposed to her, and even though she thought it was moving a bit on the fast track, she'd agreed. Their families had been a bit shocked, though relieved, as both Jack and Laura and Nicholas and Maria had always known that Troy and Gabriella were made for each other.

At their wedding a few months later, in October, their parents had come up with a video compilation of all the home videos they'd taken during Troy and Gabriella's friendship. It started off with different pictures of them as infants, and then as toddlers, young children, pre-teenagers, teenagers, and college-bound young adults. The movies kicked in then, showing Troy and Gabriella laughing and playing together as kids, cheering each other on at birthday parties, and all the other things they used to do when they were younger. They were both surprised at the video, but enjoyed every single minute of it, and thanked their families for putting it together.

Their wedding was larger than their first, which was another surprising thing to them. Everyone had gone out of their way to make everything perfection, and they married at the local church and then had their reception on a boat on the lake. One of the day's biggest thrills, besides the video, was when flower girl Rebecca caught Gabriella's bouquet. Troy's face paled, and everyone laughed hysterically. Rebecca promised her father she would hold off on marrying for a few more weeks, and people laughed even harder.

Troy knelt down so his eye level was with Gabriella's protruding six-month pregnant stomach. "And how are we this morning, baby Bolton? Are you giving Mommy any problems?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully and looked at Rebecca who was laughing. "He was like this when I was pregnant with you too, Becca."

"Hey, I just want the baby to get used to my voice," Troy defended. "Plus, they say talking to the womb is good for him."

"How are you so sure it's a boy?" Gabriella asked her husband, lifting him to his feet.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just am."

"Mom told me you thought I was a boy too, though," Rebecca pointed out. "So... what if you're wrong this time too?"

Troy's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're not a boy?"

"Dad!"

Only a few months after their honeymoon ended, Gabriella was feeling similar to the way she was feeling when she was pregnant with Rebecca. She headed to the drugstore, even though she knew she was pregnant, and took a few dozen pregnancy tests that sure enough came out positive. Gabriella told Rebecca first when she came home from school, and she was so thrilled she nearly passed out from excitement. Troy's reaction hadn't been as delightful, and Gabriella knew he was slightly on the nervous side. But once they went to their first doctor's appointment and saw their little creation and heard that first heartbeat, their hearts melted, and both of them were completely eager.

Troy and Gabriella had made their guest room the new nursery, even though they hadn't completely finished it yet, and included Rebecca in every decision they made. They were going to use the crib and changing table from Rebecca's infancy, but they had to buy new bedding, a new stroller, and various other things, from Snugglies and clothes to blankets and a rocking chair, they'd use in this child's lifetime. The only decision they still couldn't make was whether they wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl. The doctors had known for quite some time now, as Gabriella was nearing her third trimester, but neither Troy nor Gabriella could decide. And when they'd asked Rebecca, she'd said yes. But then she'd said no. And then yes. And then no. She was fickle. And they were still undecided.

"Well I hope it's a girl," Rebecca said dreamily. "I've always wanted a little sister. And Kylie said brothers are a pain."

"I want a boy," Troy protested. "I already I have my little girl."

"I don't really care," Gabriella put in. "As long as he or she is healthy."

Now, it was a whole year since this mess had happened. It was July again, and Rebecca was turning twelve. She had invited all her friends over for a party as well as all of her family, which included Troy and Gabriella's friends, seeing as they were still close as ever. Rebecca finished her pancakes, thanked her mother and kissed her brother or sister with a smile upon her face. She then raced up the stairs to change and get ready for her day, completely content with how everything had turned out. She finally got the family she wanted and deserved.

"I gotta go pick up Becca's cake," Troy said, placing his plate and utensils in the sink. "You alright here by yourself?"

"Becca's here with me," Gabriella laughed. "I'm not alone."

"True. Do you need any help with anything before I go?"

"Um, I don't think so. I just have to finish making the food and Beck can help put up the decorations."

"Okay," Troy leaned in and kissed her. "Love you."

She grinned. "Love you too."

And as she watched him go, she wondered what she ever did to deserve such a perfect life, even though the answer was clear.

She came back.

* * *

"Happy Birthday Becca!!" An overly excited Kylie Danforth screeched upon seeing her best friend.

"Thank you!" Rebecca squealed right back and gave her a hug.

"Here's your present. I searched _forever_ to get it."

"Thank so much, Kylie. You're the best."

The two girls headed off towards the dock and Gabriella led Taylor, Chad, and Nathan into the house. Chad had inherited the town restaurant from his father who'd retired and passed on the family business to him. He was shocked but thrilled, and took business owning to an ultimate level. He loved it. Contrary to what he and Taylor agreed upon- no more kids- Taylor was, in fact, pregnant with their third child. Kylie prayed to God every night for it to be a girl, while Nathan did the opposite and prayed for a boy. She was still working in the office as a therapist, and cared for her patients like she did her family.

"It's so good to see you guys," Gabriella smiled warmly at the Danforths. "I'm glad you could come."

"Oh, like we'd miss it." Taylor commented. "We love Becca like she's our own daughter."

"Which she practically is," Chad put in. "You know, because she's always at our house."

"Hey, I could say the same for Kylie," Gabriella laughed. "If Becca's not at your house, Kylie's at ours."

"Hey hey hey, the circus is here!" Zeke Baylor's voice sounded from the front door, and Sharpay and their now seven kids poured into the house.

Gabriella laughed at Zeke's wording, but they had coined their family as the circus when Sharpay had given birth to their seventh child just months before. Zeke owned his own bakery that was incredibly successful- in fact, it was where Troy and Gabriella had ordered Rebecca's birthday cake- and Sharpay stayed home full time to take care of their children. Now, they led in seven-year-old Jack, six-year-old Tara, five-year-old Meghan, four-year-old Connor, three-year-old Katie, two-year-old Jason, and three-month-old Emily. The older kids said a quick hello to the adults and then raced out to find Rebecca and wish her a happy birthday. Sharpay had Emily in a Snuggly on her chest, Jason on her hip, and Katie by the hand while Zeke held out Rebecca's birthday cake towards Gabriella.

"White cake, vanilla cream, pink frosting," He smiled proudly. "With the gel spelling out 'Happy Birthday Rebecca!'. What do you think?"

"It's amazing, Zeke. But Troy just went to pick that up."

His face fell. "Seriously? We just closed. Plus I told him I was bringing it."

Gabriella laughed. "Oh well. What are you going to do?"

"Not much."

"Hi Katie, Jason, how are you guys?" Taylor greeted the Baylor's youngest children.

"Fine." Katie answered. Jason just smiled.

Sharpay looked exhausted. "I didn't sleep all night. And it's not like the 'I slept for a few hours' kind of thing. I literally didn't get one minute of sleep last night. Today just feels like a continuation of yesterday."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Sharpay," Gabriella said, making way for Zeke and Chad to enter the backyard.

"And that's the part I _can_ wait for," Taylor complained. "I can't stand the sleepless nights."

"Me either. And I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten a full night's sleep since Zeke and I got married." Sharpay sighed, letting Katie and Jason run outside, leaving her with only the infant.

"Knock knock," Ryan Evans's voice sounded as he stepped into the house, followed by Kelsi Nielson and her two boys Andrew and Matthew.

Ryan was a waiter at the restaurant Chad newly owned and got assigned to Kelsi's table one day. They ended up talking for a long time and really hit it off. He'd consoled her as she let out her true feelings about Jason's death and she admitted that talking to him was much easier than talking to a therapist. A few weeks later, he asked her out and she agreed, knowing she had to move on. On their first date, Ryan admitted he'd always had a crush on her in high school, but hadn't been able to tell her because she seemed smitten with Jason. Kelsi was awed. She told him she'd always loved Jason, but something deep down inside of her had said she had a little crush on him as well.

"Hey guys! Come on in!"

"Thanks for having us, Gabriella," Kelsi said immediately. "Boys, can you thank Gabriella?"

"Thank you." Both five-year-old Andrew and three-year-old Matthew said in unison before heading outside where the party was.

"You're welcome."

"So how've you guys been?"

"Great, thanks. What about you?"

Moments later, Samantha, Daniel, Hannah, Lilly, and Nicholas arrived along with both Gabriella and Troy's parents. Jack and Laura as well as Nicholas and Maria were thrilled to be there and tried to help in any way possible, giving everyone appropriate greetings. Daniel and Hannah both hugged and kissed Gabriella before heading out with the billions of kids outdoors, and Samantha wheeled a double stroller with sleeping one-year-olds through the grass outside. At that point, Gabriella moved everything outdoors so they could watch over the kids. Troy finally returned, looking ridiculous perplexed. He came over to Gabriella.

"Um... so I couldn't get the cake. Where the hell is Zeke and why is the bakery closed?"

Gabriella laughed, taking one of her hands in his and giving it a squeeze. "Well he's here. And he brought the cake with him, like he told you he was going to."

"He never said that."

"He said he did."

"Well he lies."

She laughed again, shaking her head and pushing Troy towards the crowd to mingle with their guests. They played a few games and enjoyed some party festivities before eating some lunch and then cake and opening presents. Rebecca was glowing with happiness and came over to hug both of her parents to thank them for 'the best birthday ever' as she put it. Troy and Gabriella were so glad she was enjoying herself. That's all they ever wanted was for her to be happy. And here, with them together and surrounded by all her friends and family, she finally was.

Later on, as day turned to dusk and sun was setting into the warm lake, Rebecca, Kylie, Nathan, and Jack were sitting on a picnic blanket on the yard talking and laughing while playing a game of Go Fish. Tara, Meghan, Connor, Katie, Andrew, Matthew, Danny, and Hannah were playing What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? with Samantha, Laura, and Maria. Jason and Emily and Lilly and Nicholas were sound asleep in their respective strollers while Jack and Nicholas were watching them and cleaning up. Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Ryan, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Zeke were seated on the dock in a circle, talking about their lives and sharing time together.

"The kids look like they're having fun," Sharpay commented, glancing back at the yard where the kids were screeching, laughing, and having a good time.

"Yeah, they'll definitely sleep well tonight." Zeke nodded.

"Can you believe we're all married with kids?" Taylor asked.

Chad groaned. "You always have to do that."

"Do what, Chad? She's right." Kelsi said. "Time goes by so quickly."

"She always makes cheesy comments like that." Chad defended.

"It's cool, man. Sharpay does it all the time too."

"Gabriella does too."

"Okay, shut up," Gabriella cued the guys. "All we're saying is it feels like yesterday that we were going to prom, graduating, you know, all that stuff. And now we're all married and having kids."

"Some of us more than others," Ryan said pointedly in his sister's direction.

"Ryan, bite me." Sharpay glared at him.

"The pregnancy hormones haven't exactly worn off on her yet, man," Zeke advised Ryan.

"But dude, it's been three months already."

"I know."

"I guess it's true," Troy started. "I mean, did anyone's life go completely as expected?"

No one said anything.

"I never expected myself to have seven kids," Sharpay admitted. "I didn't even want kids in high school."

"Well I did expect to be married to Sharpay," Zeke laughed. "I was kind of obsessed with her back then. But seven beautiful kids and my own successful bakery? It's a dream come true."

"I didn't ever think I'd lose my husband so early," Kelsi said sadly. "But I have two little boys and someone to fall back upon. That's okay with me."

"I always wanted to be with Kelsi," Ryan smiled. "It didn't turn out the way it should've, but it happened, didn't it?"

"Who would've thought I would've married this bonehead?" Taylor motioned towards Chad. "But he's great and we have two perfect kids and one on the way. I love my life."

"Well now I'm kind of regretting marrying someone who calls me a bonehead," Chad said disappointedly, and Taylor laughed. "But I love her, and Kylie and Nathan... and little George."

"We're not naming the baby George, Chad."

"Not if it's a girl."

Taylor sighed. "See what I have to deal with?"

They all laughed and turned to Troy and Gabriella. "Well," Gabriella began. "Where do I even begin? Did I want to get pregnant in college? No. Did I want to marry at nineteen? No. Did I want to leave my daughter? No. But I'm happy with the way things turned out. I should've stayed, of course, but now our family is complete."

"I always wanted to marry Gabriella, and I think you all know that," Troy laughed when everyone nodded simultaneously. "The way we turned out was kind of screwy, but I love her and we're happy. Whatever happened between us is in the past and we've moved on."

"Well good," Taylor smiled. "I'm glad you've found closure."

"We're glad you came back." Sharpay remarked.

"Yeah, we really needed you here." Kelsi agreed.

"Of course I came back," Gabriella said. "I realized everything up there was just wrong. Nothing felt like it was supposed to. There was a big hole in my life and this was the only way to fill it up again."

"We really missed you." Troy squeezed her waist, looking into her eyes sincerely. She wrapped her arm around his waist as well.

"Well, you know what they say. Home is where the heart is." Gabriella grinned. "And my heart has always been right here."

-The End-


End file.
